More than 300 students from school districts, community colleges and universities across Texas will participate in the fourth annual Texas Male Student Leadership Summit Aug. 17-18 at The University of Texas at Austin. The event is hosted by the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement.

In an effort to prepare male students of color for academic and career success, the two-day summit will feature an array of professional development workshops, seminars, featured speakers and cultural events. All activities revolve around four themes: leadership, college and career readiness, brotherhood and health and wellness.

Topics range from preparing and navigating college to financial literacy to personal and professional success. The goal of the summit, in large part, is to build the capacity of Consortium partners to better serve male students of color across Texas high schools, community colleges and four-year institutions. The summit also aims to provide access to a robust network of academic and professional leaders and role models.

“This Summit is occurring at a profound time in our nation’s history, when so much attention is being focused on young men of color in our communities,” says Dr. Victor Saenz, executive director of the consortium and professor in the College of Education. “Together, we represent a community that is committed to being better leaders and stronger examples of what men of color should be for our families, communities and for our nation.”

Featured speakers and sessions include

• Octavious Bishop, assistant director, Student-Athlete Wellness and Personal Development, UT Austin
• Ernesto Mejia, vice president and CSO for Coolspeak
• Corey Tabor, founder and lead pastor, Full Life Community Church; Director, Austin LifeGuard
• Patrick Valdez, chief executive officer, University of New Mexico-Taos Branch
• Testimonials from student representatives
• Spoken word, poetry and open-mic performances

Visit the Project MALES website for more information. Use #TxMaleSummit to follow the online conversation!