2023 High School Students of Color Conference

2023 High School Students of Color Conference

April 22, 2023
In-Person!
St. Mark’s School 
25 Marlboro Rd.
Southborough, MA 01772

After three years of virtual programming, we are thrilled to announce that this year’s High School Students of Color Conference will return to an in-person event. Hosted by St. Mark’s School, the day will feature dynamic keynotes, affinity gatherings, and various student-led workshops. We will conclude with an all-attendee dance!

Pricing

Attendee AISNE Member Rate
Student $150*
Chaperone $150*

*plus service fees per student and chaperone.

This conference is now sold out.
If you are interested in purchasing tickets, should any become available via cancellations, email info@aisne.org. Include your name, school name, and the number of tickets you would like.

Hotel

For those who wish to stay overnight after the event concludes, St. Mark’s recommends the following hotel.

Agenda at a Glance

  • 1:00 – 2:00 PM | Welcome & Keynote
  • 2:00 – 2:15 PM | Break
  • 2:15 – 3:30 PM | Workshop A
  • 3:30 – 3:45 PM | Break
  • 3:45 – 5:00 PM | Workshop B
  • 5:00 – 6:15 PM | Dinner
  • 6:30 – 8:00 PM | Affinity Group Gatherings
  • 8:30 – 10:00 PM | Dance & Closing Celebration

If you have questions about the event, please reach out to hssocc2023@stmarksschool.org.

Keynote Speakers

Opening Keynote: Marvin Pierre

Marvin Pierre graduated from Tabor Academy, Trinity College (CT), and the University of Houston (MEd). He currently serves as the Executive Director at 8 Million Stories. Marvin began developing 8 Million Stories during his year as a TNTP Bridge Fellow.

Before creating 8 Million Stories, Marvin served as the Assistant Principal at KIPP Polaris Academy for Boys in Houston, Texas. He has served as the Dean of Students at Excellence Boys Charter School, an Assistant Dean of Students at Summit Academy Charter School, and served as Director of Student Life at Achievement First Endeavor Middle School in Brooklyn, NY.

 

Closing Keynote: Jennifer DeLeon | “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From… How these Six Words Shaped Me”

“Where are you from? Where are you from-from? Where are you really from?” These are questions that Jenn faced while growing up—and continues to face—as a person of color. They inspired her to write a young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, in which first-generation Latinx Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new, nearly all-white school. But when family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up, Liliana must decide what she believes in and take a stand. In this honest and energizing conversation about race and belonging, Jenn pulls the curtain back on her experiences—in life and on the page. This session concludes with an audience Q & A and book signing.

Jennifer De Leon is the author of the YA novel Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From (published by Simon & Schuster) and White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, and Writing (winner of the Juniper Prize and published by the University of Massachusetts Press), and the editor of the award-winning anthology, Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education (published by the University of Nebraska Press). She is currently the Visiting Writer in the MFA in Creative Writing Program at UMass Boston and the founder of Story Bridge LLC, a series of programs and workshops that bridge storytelling and DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging). Her next novel, Borderless, will be published by Simon & Schuster in April 2023. Visit her at www.jenniferdeleonauthor.com

Featured Sessions

Let’s Dance! | Rodney Eric Lopez, CEO of Rodney Eric Lopez Enterprises

Come have fun and learn some new moves at this active dance shindig led by Rodney Eric Lopez. Rodney is an accomplished dance instructor and performer and was the director of the Salsa Program at Dance Manhattan, one of New York’s finest social dance studios. Today, he is the CEO of Rodney Eric Lopez Enterprises, which provides coaching and consulting services in the areas of arts education, fundraising and development, and nonprofit leadership. 

 

 

 

Spoken Word | Troublemaker: Poems on Resistance, Non-Conformity, and Community Activism | Performed by Dariana D. Guerrero

“Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” —Rep. John Lewis

Join self-proclaimed troublemaker Dariana D. Guerrero in an interactive spoken word performance that will inspire the ethos and sentiments of good (necessary) trouble to facilitate social change. Attendees will leave feeling revived and uplifted by Dariana’s work, centering race, mental health, body image, class, and her audacity to live authentically.

Dariana D. Guerrero is a celebrated writer, activist, and educator from Lawrence, MA. Beginning her teaching career at Phillips Academy Andover and Noble and Greenough School, respectively, Dariana taught high school English and championed the voices of women of color and other marginalized writers in her classroom. As a queer mestiza Latina, Dariana views her identity as a resource and catalyst for expanding, deepening, and challenging the traditional canon of English literature. Dariana’s works have been featured in a wide variety of publications including, Caustic Frolic Literary Journal, Exposed Brick Literary Magazine, Glass Poetry Journal, Voices and Visions, and Women: A Cultural Review, and Witness Magazine to name a few. Her debut collection of poetry, Sancocho, was a finalist for The Sexton Prize for best outstanding poetry. You can check out more of her work on her website.

Community

We look forward to welcoming the following AISNE Member Schools.

  • Bancroft School
  • Boston University Academy
  • Brimmer and May School
  • The Cambridge School of Weston
  • Chapel Hill-Chancy Hall
  • Concord Academy
  • Dana Hall School
  • The Derryfield School
  • Dublin School
  • Fay School
  • Fontbonne
  • The Governor’s Academy
  • Holderness School
  • Lawrence Academy
  • Lincoln School
  • Milton Academy
  • Miss Hall’s School
  • New Hampton School
  • Newton Country Day School
  • Pingree School
  • Pomfret School
  • The Putney School
  • The Rivers School
  • The Roxbury Latin School
  • St. John’s Prep
  • Thayer Academy
  • The Wheeler School
  • The Williston Northampton School

Interested in learning more about student conferences and/or how to be a host school?  Check out this new addition to our website for more information and resources!

Cancellation & Transfer Policy

Tickets to the High School Students of Color Conference are non-refundable. Transfers of tickets from one student to another are allowed until Friday, March 31, 2023. Transfers of tickets from students in one school to another are not permitted.

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