UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State community members are invited to register for the second annual First-Gen Student Support Summit, scheduled for Wednesday, March 29, and to submit presentation proposals.
The one-day summit, sponsored by the Student Success Center, will be an opportunity for advocates of first-generation students to share best practices, network with one another, and cultivate a community of practice across the University. This year’s summit will focus on the theme of mentorship.
The summit will be headlined by keynote speaker Adriana Lacy, a 2018 graduate of the Bellisario College of Communications who was actively involved during her time on campus. Lacy is now a freelance product management and audience strategist, digital and audience engagement editor at Harvard, and journalism professor at Brandeis University. She is co-founder of Journalism Mentors, an organization dedicated to opening doors in the journalism industry for historically marginalized populations. Her work with Journalism Mentors earned her a spot on the latest Forbes 30 Under 30 list. She holds a master of science degree in digital audience strategy from Arizona State University and bachelor’s degrees in African American studies and journalism from Penn State.
The summit will include an in-person kickoff breakfast at University Park, which will feature a viewing of Lacy’s virtual keynote address, followed by facilitated discussion. Participants also can view the keynote address and participate in the discussion through the conference platform, Whova. Additional in-person events and gatherings are being planned across the commonwealth and will be announced as they are confirmed. Following the breakfast, virtual sessions will occur throughout the day on Whova. All conference details will be available on the Student Success Center website. Participants can register for the summit on Whova.
Penn State community members are invited to submit presentation proposals that show how both informal and formal mentorship opportunities can support the success of first-generation students at Penn State. Presentations can range from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the preferred format. All presentations will be conducted via Zoom. Proposals should be 1,000 characters or less. The priority proposal submission deadline is Thursday, Feb. 16, and the final proposal deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 21. More details are provided in the call for proposals news story and on the proposal submission form.
Questions about the summit can be directed to Denise Poole at dmp6115@psu.edu.
The Student Success Center is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.