EvCC hosts Students of Color Career Conference March 23
Release Date: Jan. 12, 2023
Contacts: Dorrin Wanjiru, Director of Student Engagement for Retention and Diversity, 425-388-9176, dwanjiru@everettcc.edu
Jenny Marin, Interim Communications Director, 425-388-9203, jmarin@everettcc.edu
EVERETT, Wash. – Hundreds of local middle and high school students will learn about college and career options at Everett Community College’s Students of Color Career Conference on Thursday, March 23.
The event is 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at EvCC’s Walt Price Student Fitness Center. Volunteers and participants for career panels are still needed. To sign up, visit EverettCC.edu/SOCCC.
The goal of the conference, now returning for its 18th year after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to inspire middle and high school students of color to expand their education and career goals.
Panel discussions, cultural sharing and a keynote address provide students with the opportunity to explore a diverse range of career options.
The conference is focused on students of color from the western Washington area in both high school and middle school. Registration is required for students to attend. For more information, visit EverettCC.edu/SOCCC.
The keynote speaker is Tony Nabors, owner and principal consultant of Racial Equity Insights. Nabors has been an advocate in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion for over 20 years, using photography and video to communicate with a variety of audiences in anti-racism education. He has worked with colleges, healthcare providers and insurers, housing nonprofits, music and arts organizations, international fundraising and outreach non profits, mental health support organizations, and technology firms.
First held in 2003, the Students of Color Career Conference was the idea of former EvCC accounting instructor Bill Reed, who remains a part of the planning committee to this day. The Conference was in response to changing Snohomish County demographics, education trends and the economic impact of earning a college degree.
The 2020 U.S. Census showed that Snohomish County is becoming more diverse, with the number of residents of color increasing 82% between 2010 and 2020, while the number of white residents declined 2%. In Washington state, 83 percent of white students graduate from high school in four years, while Native American, Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and multiracial students had lower graduation rates, according to the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s 2017-18 graduation and dropout statistics annual report. Students of color are also less likely to make the transition from high school to college or the trades.
“The conference is a way to motivate and empower middle and high school students of color to dream big and/or expand their dreams, see firsthand role models in charge of programming, meet professionals from a variety of career tracks, and, equally important, believe continuing education is possible for them,” Reed said.
For more information about the conference or to donate to support the event, visit EverettCC.edu/SOCCC.