AUSTIN, TX November 5-7, 2017 Westin at The Domain Texas GEAR UP State Grant Texas Education Agency GEAR UP FAST FACTS

GEAR UP is a federal grant program designed to increase the number of low-income 2006-2012 students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR Baylor University – 2,639 Students UP provides six- or seven-year competitive matching grants to deliver services at El Paso Community College – 1,070 Students high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of El Paso ISD – 3,037 Students students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high Pasadena ISD – 4,523 Students school. GEAR UP funds may also be used to provide college scholarships to low-income Texas Education Agency – 8,335 Students students. 2007-2013 Texas GEAR UP consists of state and partnership grants that provide services to Amarillo College – 1,651 Students students, schools, and families designed to increase college attendance and success. Texas A&M International University – 974 Students This is accomplished through outreach, rigorous coursework, mentoring, tutoring, college access, and college-financing education. All GEAR UP grants operate through 2008-2014 partnerships with public and private entities in order to best coordinate and leverage the Texas A&M University – 1,098 Students wealth of resources available to students within state and local communities. The University of Texas at El Paso – 3,281 Students Additionally, Texas GEAR UP spearheads initiatives to enhance college awareness and readiness statewide. This includes: free college-success education resources for all 2011-2017 secondary students in the state; professional development related to college success ESC Region 12 – 4,400 Students for GEAR UP and non-GEAR UP schools; information about best practices related to Region One ESC – 10,000 Students college access and success. San Antonio ISD – 5,000 Students Stephen F. Austin State University – 1,909 Students The Texas GEAR UP State Grant convenes all Texas GEAR UP grants through Sul Ross State University – 965 Students conferences, trainings, and workgroups to build resources and professional skills that Texas A&M International University – 8,800 Students will help us to increase college-going rates across the state. The University of Texas at El Paso – 3,390 Students 2012-2019 IDEA Public Schools – 2,400 Students Texas Education Agency – 1,594 Students

2005-2011 2014-2021 Houston ISD – 4,843 Students DeSoto Independent School District – 1,407 Students Region One ESC – 8,000 Students Texas A&M University-Kingsville – 1,305 Students San Antonio ISD – 4,419 Students Spring Branch ISD – 467 Students 2017-2024 Stephen F. Austin State University – 1,361 Students UT Austin To College and Beyond – 5,299 Students Sul Ross State University – 716 Students Austin ISD – 2,565 Students Texas A&M International University – 921 Students UT Rio Grande Valley – 3,906 Students The University of Texas at El Paso – 1,313 Students Cedar Hill ISD – 1,209 Students The University of Texas at Tyler – 1,167 Students Region 12 ESC – 3,789 Students The University of Texas-Pan American – 9,038 Students Texas Education Agency (State Grant) – 2,500 Students

3 DEAR COLLEGE ACCESS AND READINESS COLLEAGUES: TOGETHER WE RISE

With one step and one giant leap, we welcome you to the 2017 Texas GEAR UP State Conference and The Domain in Austin! The transition to education after high school is the core purpose of all programs, and we are pleased to bring you keynote speeches by prominent university faculty Dr. David Laude and Dr. Kyle Reyes, who specialize in helping first-generation and low-income students succeed and graduate from college. We also welcome a GEAR UP alumnus, Heriberto Reynoso, the CEO and founder of a robotics corporation dedicated to providing engaging educational opportunities to students in K-12 and higher education.

We are pleased that NCCEP’s President and CEO, Ranjit Sidhu, will kick off this year’s conference, especially because we welcome five new grantees to the Texas GEAR UP community this year. Congratulations to UT RGV, The University of Texas at Austin, ESC 12, Austin ISD, and Cedar Hill ISD!

Welcome also to parents from our GEAR UP community! We hope you enjoy your time, learn from each other, and pick up a few things from our selection of speakers that you can take home to engage with your communities.

We are pleased that the Texas Association for College Admission Counseling (TACAC) is returning for a second year to provide a specialized track for school counselors with information about the college application process, admissions, and financial aid.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of a student track to this year’s conference.

The Texas GEAR UP Lounge is again a highlight, and we encourage you to use the breaks and time before and after sessions to explore the tools, information, and resources provided by the Texas GEAR UP State Grant. You can be sure to snag lots of “swag”!

We extend our appreciation to the many people who made this conference possible, including our presenters, partners, advertisers, exhibitors, and sponsors. We would especially like to thank the Texas Education Agency, AMS Public Interest, NCCEP, UT Austin’s College of Education, the Westin at The Domain, and all exhibitors, who you might meet during the conference and at the Monday reception starting at 5:15 PM. Thank you for participating, and we know that the small steps you take to learn from your colleagues at this conference will lead to giant leaps in services for your GEAR UP students.

5 2017 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

2017 Texas GEAR UP State Conference Committee Members Matt Orem, Implementation Director, Texas GEAR UP State Grant, Elizabeth Severance, GEAR UP State Program Director, Texas The University of Texas at Austin GEAR UP State Grant, Texas Education Agency Phyllis Broz, Project Specialist, Texas GEAR UP State Grant, Andrae Rhyne, GEAR UP Project Director, Linking Education to The University of Texas at Austin Success (LETS) GEAR UP, DeSoto ISD Connie Dawes, Project Manager, Texas GEAR UP State Grant, Tina Atkins, Director, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College!, The University of Texas at Austin ESC Region One Janice Johnson Shephard, Senior Field Trainer/Family Engagement, Norma McCormick, GEAR UP Coordinator, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Texas GEAR UP State Grant, The University of Texas at Austin Ready, Set, College!, ESC Region One Michael King, Senior Outreach Coordinator and Special Projects, Texas GEAR UP Ricardo Lopez, Jr., Education Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: State Grant, The University of Texas at Austin Ready, Set, College!, ESC Region One Angela Delamar, Education Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Texas GEAR UP Technical Assistance Team Ready, Set, College!, ESC Region One Matt Orem, Director for College Readiness, Institute for Public School Monica Saenz, Director, Project ReACH, Sul Ross University Initiatives, UT Austin Ana Gonzalez, Research Director, GEAR UP “Creating a Vision IV” Phyllis Broz, Project Specialist, Institute for Public School Rick Moreno, Director, GEAR UP “Creating a Vision IV” Initiatives, UT Austin Julio Madrigal, Principal Investigator, GEAR UP “Creating a Vision IV” Connie Dawes, Project Manager, Institute for Public School Initiatives, UT Austin Roxanne Rosales, Director, GU2 Janice Johnson Shephard, Senior Field Trainer/Family Engagement, , Facilitator, GU2 Gustavo Cordova Texas GEAR UP State Grant, The University of Texas at Austin Marisol Flores-Henderson, Program Director, IDEA Public Schools GEAR UP Bomin Kim, Data Specialist, Institute for Public School Initiatives, UT Austin Phillip Garza, Director, IDEA Public Schools GEAR UP Michael King, Senior Outreach Coordinator and Special Projects, Institute for Cristal Lopez, Director, Texas A&M University-Kingsville GEAR UP Partnership Public School Initiatives, UT Austin Juliette Caire, Executive Director, UTEP Solutions for Optimal Readiness (SOAR) Pratik Mhatre, Data and Research Administrator, Institute for Peter Golding, Principal Investigator, UTEP Solutions for Optimal Readiness (SOAR) Public School Initiatives, UT Austin Sharon Holding, Director, ESC Region 12 College Link Kimberly Mennel, Administrative Associate, Institute for Public School Initiatives, UT Austin Sheila Anderson, Grant Coordinator, ESC Region 12 College Link Cathy Moak, Educator Outreach Coach, Institute for Public School Bobbie Davis, Projector Director, East Texas GEAR UP for Success Initiatives, UT Austin Robyn Beck, Creative Operations Manager, Texas GEAR UP State Grant, AMS Public Interest Ryann Malone, Managing Director, Texas GEAR UP State Grant, AMS Public Interest

7 THE WESTIN AUSTIN AT THE DOMAIN 2017 TEXAS GEAR UP STATE CONFERENCE: ONE GIANT LEAP: AGENDA

Sunday, November 5, 2017 service area service area 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM Conference Registration, Exhibitor Opening

A Monday, November 6, 2017 A 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM Registration and Information Open 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Networking Breakfast C D B 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM Morning Plenary – Welcome Remarks by Ranjit Sidhu, NCCEP Lantana Paradigm Shift Presentation B Keynote Presentation by Dr. Kyle Reyes, Special Assistant service area to the President for Inclusion, Utah Valley University A 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Concurrent Sessions One 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM Concurrent Sessions Two 12:15 PM – 1:45 PM Lunch Plenary & Networking Lunch – Keynote Primrose Presentation by Dr. David Laude, Senior Vice Provost and B Professor of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin Camellia Verbena Plumeria 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Networking Break – First Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Concurrent Sessions Three Revision Date: Texas GEAR Show UP State Name Conference 5/20/2010 ### 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM Networking Break – Second Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area November Show Date 5-7, 2017 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM Concurrent Sessions Four Job Number: JOB NUMBER TheThe Westin Westin Austin at The at the Domain, Domain, Austin Austin TX TX Acct. Exec: ACCT. EXEC. File Name: WESTIN_DOMAIN.DWG 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM Networking Exhibitor Reception (Raffle Items) EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THIS FLOORPLAN. HOWEVER, NO WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESSED OF File Path: F:\Area IMPLIED, ARE MADE WITH RESPECT TO THIS FLOORPLAN. IF THE LOCATION OF BUILDING COLUMNS, UTILITIES OR OTHER ARCHITECTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE FACILITY IS Facilities\Austin\Hotels\Westin_Domain.dwg A CONSIDERATION IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR USAGE OF AN EXHIBIT, IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE EXHIBITOR TO PHYSICALLY INSPECT THE FACILITY TO VERIFY ALL DIMENSION AND LOCATIONS. © COPYRIGHT 2007, FREEMAN, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Tuesday, November 7, 2017

7:00 AM – 12:00 PM Registration and Information Open 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Networking Breakfast 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Morning Plenary – Keynote Presentation by Heriberto Reynoso, CEO & Founder, Reybotics 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM Networking Break – Third Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM Concurrent Sessions Five 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Concurrent Sessions Six 12:00 PM Adjourn

9 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS 40 initiatives focused on making UVU a more inclusive and equitable campus. He is in his 15th year at UVU and has spent the majority of his career in programs and services for underserved students.

Ranjit Sidhu Dr. Reyes is also an Assistant Professor of Education at UVU and President & CEO teaches courses in Multicultural Education, ESL Methods and Family National Council for Community & Community Partnerships. His research focuses on conditions for and Education Partnerships underrepresented student success throughout P-20 educational institutions. Kyle serves on the Board of Directors for The United Way of Ranjit was appointed President & CEO of the National Council Utah County, American Indian Services and the national organization of Asian Pacific for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) in May of Americans in Higher Education. He is also the President Elect for 2017-18 of the Utah 2015. He has a long history of service to NCCEP and its primary Chapter of the National Association of Multicultural Education. For the past two years, constituency, GEAR UP, having served on NCCEP’s Board of Dr. Reyes has served on the Governor’s Multicultural Commission and from 2012-2014, Directors, and years prior as a member of the staff executive team. His career has been was elected by his peers statewide to co-chair the College Access Network for the Utah consistently anchored in creating opportunities for students from low-income families, and System of Higher Education. in leading organizations to enhance social impact and growth. Over the past ten years, Dr. Reyes has: keynoted nearly 50 conferences in ten Prior to assuming this role, Ranjit served as senior vice president for strategy and new states, given over 300 workshops in 12 states and Canada, and has conducted product development at the College Board. There he was responsible for the development national webinars on diversity and inclusion planning. He speaks and consults on: and integration of the organization’s comprehensive strategy, working across the cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence; inclusive pedagogy and learning; organization to determine how all current and future work can achieve significant and strategic diversity planning; culture-based leadership development; family, community positive social impact. Ranjit also directed new product development, including career and and university partnerships; and arts-based connections to identity, voice, and technical education work, and higher education product strategy and offerings. empowerment. Ranjit’s previous roles include serving as senior vice president for strategic initiatives at Dr. Reyes has received a number of awards, including: UVU’s Board of Trustees Award; ACT, where he played a significant role in developing the education division’s strategic plan the Exemplary Educator for Diversity Award for the state of Utah from the National and future product development efforts. He led ACT’s national efforts focused on policy Association of Multicultural Education (NAME); NASPA’s Region VI Administrator of the development, advocacy, and partnerships in the education and workforce development Year Award; the Top 50 Diversity Senior Executives in the Nation from Diversity MBA arenas. Ranjit also served as executive vice president at NCCEP, and as executive vice Magazine; and most recently, Utah Valley Business Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40. president & COO at the National Association of Partners in Education. Early in his career he was a high school social studies teacher in the Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s Kyle received his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah County, Md., public school districts. and was the recipient of the Elmo R. & Frances Bennion Morgan Fellowship.

Ranjit holds a master’s degree in education from George Washington University, a David A. Laude master’s degree in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Senior Vice Provost and Professor of Chemistry bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Mary Washington. The University of Texas at Austin

Kyle Reyes Professor Laude has been a member of the faculty in the Special Assistant to the President for Inclusion College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas Utah Valley University at Austin since 1987. During the first ten years of his tenure at UT Austin, he ran a large research program in Dr. Kyle A. Reyes currently serves as Special Assistant to the mass spectrometry. From 1996 to 2012, he held various President for Inclusion at Utah Valley University (UVU). In administrative positions in the Dean’s Office of the College of Natural Sciences and served his current role as UVU’s Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Reyes as interim dean. Professor Laude has an established reputation for teaching excellence leads UVU’s Strategic Inclusion plan comprised of nearly

11 and curriculum innovation at The University of Texas at Austin and has received such as MoonRise and Mars Sample Return. Reynoso then created a many awards for his teaching, including membership in the Academy of Distinguished tech startup called Reybotics to develop robots and curriculum for use Teachers. For the past 19 years, Professor Laude has taught general chemistry in in classrooms tailored to motivate the next generation of scientists what has become one of the most popular courses on campus, and has the largest and engineers. enrollment of any course taught in the College of Natural Sciences. Reybotics is the premier robotics manufacturing center of South Texas Professor Laude has been a leader in program reform at the undergraduate level at UT and a leader in curriculum delivery through technology. With Brownsville Austin for the past 25 years. In 1996, he chaired the original committee that proposed native (and former GEAR UP student) Reynoso at the helm, Reybotics the teacher preparation program known today as UTeach. In 1999, he created Texas strives to motivate youth to pursue STEM career paths by educating Interdisciplinary Plan as a way to provide a small-college-learning environment for and providing opportunities to high school and college students with a passion for students with adversity indicators. Professor Laude was also instrumental in the creation engineering. In addition to offering lessons in robotics to area school districts, Reybotics of the Freshman Research Initiative that today enrolls 900 incoming freshman students also designs robot kits for educational training and wholesale. in the research programs of science faculty. Michael King In 2012, Professor Laude joined the Provost’s Office to champion four-year Emcee graduation rates. He developed the 360 Communities program that places all 8,500 incoming freshmen in small communities to assist with acclimation to the university, Michael King serves as Senior Outreach Coordinator and Special and coordinates assignment of 2,000 incoming freshmen from under-resourced Projects at UT Austin’s Institute for Public School Initiatives, where backgrounds to freshman success programs. He has redefined the role of Financial he supports districts in the Texas GEAR UP State Grant. He is Services to support new programs like the University Leadership Network that further also director of the Texas GEAR UP for College Summer Camp integrates students into the UT Austin community. All of these efforts have contributed and host of To College and Beyond, a podcast that examines the to what are now the highest persistence and graduation rates in the university’s history. multifaceted world of college and career readiness.

Professor Laude is now leading the new College to Career Task Force, whose mission King brings nearly ten years of program management, community outreach, marketing is to assess and confirm that UT Austin is providing students with the support and and public relations experience to his role. He has coordinated programs with resources to achieve the needed skills, experiences, and co-curricular knowledge to Communities in Schools – San Antonio, Family Service Association, The University of prepare for life after graduation. Texas at San Antonio P-20 Initiatives, the Harris Foundation, and Public Allies to assist and empower students in low-income communities. King’s ability to connect with people Heriberto Reynoso has been showcased through his personal blog, entertainment company, and TV and CEO & Founder radio show appearances. Reybotics

With limited resources, Heriberto Reynoso began building robots from scratch at the age of 14 for national competitions during high school. He later interned at NASA three times as a college undergraduate before becoming a contractor at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. During his years as an intern, he pursued and completed a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He strongly believes that the field of robotics lacks extraordinary milestones in artificial intelligence and the mere thought of contributing to its advancement became intellectually seductive. He developed code for military spy planes used by the Air Force Research Laboratory automating camera calibration procedures, low-Earth orbit satellites utilizing Android phones (dubbed PhoneSat), and Graphical User Interfaces for robotic missions

13 GEAR UP IN TEXAS GEAR UP “Creating a Vision IV” Texas A&M International University Dr. Rick Moreno, Program Director 2014-2021 Phone: 956-326-2001 [email protected] Linking Education to Success (LETS) GEAR UP DeSoto Independent School District Debbye Garner, Director Project ReACH Phone: 972-223-6666 Sul Ross State University [email protected] Monica Saenz, Director Phone: 432-837-8301 [email protected] Texas A&M University-Kingsville GEAR UP Partnership Mary L. Gonzalez, Associate Vice President for Student Access Phone: 361-593-2129 Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! [email protected] Region One Education Service Center Tina Atkins, Program Director Phone: 956-984-6000 2012-2019 [email protected] IDEA Public Schools GEAR UP Phillip Garza, Project Director GU2 Phone: 956-373-5471 San Antonio ISD [email protected] Roxanne Rosales, Project Director Phone: 210-554-2610 Texas GEAR UP State Grant [email protected] Texas Education Agency Gus Cordova, Facilitator [email protected] [email protected] Elizabeth Severance, M.P.A., GEAR UP State Director [email protected] UTEP Solutions for Optimal Academic Readiness (SOAR) Phone: 512-936-0356 The University of Texas at El Paso Matt Orem, Director, Texas GEAR UP Support Center Juliette Caire, Executive Project Director [email protected] Phone: 915-747-8014 [email protected] 2011-2018 East Texas GEAR UP for Success ESC Region 12 GEAR UP College Link Stephen F. Austin State University Education Service Center Region 12 Dr. Betty Alford, Executive Director Sharon Henson, Project Director [email protected] Phone: 254-297-1212 Barbara “Bobbie” Davis, Project Director [email protected] [email protected] Phone: 936-468-1899

15 THE TEXAS GEAR UP COALITION Session 102 – Lantana Mindshift: Brain-based Research on Increased Student Persistence

The Texas GEAR UP Coalition is comprised of GEAR UP directors from across the state Learn what factor in a national study doubled the number of low-income and has adopted the following Mission Statement: students who reached and remained in college after high school. Bring your phone or laptop to experience for yourself a live activity that helps to build The Texas GEAR UP Coalition provides leadership and a unified voice at the local, that factor. Take home a free activity and tools from the nonprofit EduGuide state, and national level; while sharing and leveraging resources to positively impact to start building a mindshift with your students. students’ lives. Presenter: The Coalition meets four times per year so that promising practices can be visited Bryan Taylor, President, EduGUIDE and shared. Session 103 – Plumeria Creating New Higher Education Data Frontiers: Accessing Valuable Higher Education Data in Texas via Robust Online Tools

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has developed two new online tools to track the progress of 60x30TX, the state of Texas’ 15-year higher education strategic plan. CONCURRENT PRESENTATIONS The two online tools, 60x30TX.com and the Accountability System, provide a user-friendly format for education stakeholders to view and use higher education data. This presentation will teach participants how to access the data and download it for further analysis. After this Monday, November 6th, 2017 training, participants will not only have a better understanding of the goals, measures, and Concurrent Sessions One | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM targets of 60x30TX, but also be inspired to use their local creativity to achieve an intentional future for Texas—to be globally competitive by 2030! Session 101 – Camelia Do or Do Not, There is No Try in the TSI Presenter: Luis Martinez, Program Director, Data Training Specialists, Texas Higher Education Do you know how to navigate the TSI System? Have you tried to look for information about Coordinating Board the ACCUPLACER only to have more questions than answers? Houston, we have a problem! Region One Education Service Center took on the challenge of becoming a resource for Monday, November 6th, 2017 TSI professional development for districts and teachers. Region One will share how they Concurrent Sessions Two | 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM developed and implemented a TSI Institute to navigate the ACCUPLACER system of the diagnostics in the math and ELA. Participants will be provided with an overview of the TSI Session 201 – Camelia diagnostic, an in-depth look into the TSI Blueprint, and an opportunity to begin the dialogue Transitioning to College…By Promoting a College-Going Culture on TSI best practices and proven instructional approaches. A framework for the Region One TSI Institute will be shown, a TSI course will be shared, and a sample diagnostic and Are you interested in promoting a college-going environment in your community? Ever free online application will be given. This session will be beneficial for district and school wonder how to highlight your high school seniors’ college decisions and inspire elementary administrators, test coordinators, deans of instruction, counselors, and teachers. and middle school students at the same time? Look no further than this session. We will share events that promote how attending college is attainable by all. The events will focus Presenters: on parental and community involvement to showcase students’ college decisions—all Joe Castillo, GEAR UP Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! while providing support to make the transition to college. Whether the choice is based on Claudia Gutierrez, Education Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! academics or athletics, decisions can transform not only the child and his/her family, but Sandra Garza, GEAR UP Facilitator, Edinburg CISD also the entire community. Join us for an uplifting session highlighting this critical decision of high school seniors.

17 Presenters: and resources to help your students and parents navigate the complex Kristopher McKinney, Education Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: college entry and enrollment processes. Let’s stop summer melt! Ready, Set, College! Joanna Gomez, GEAR UP Facilitator, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! Presenters: Christina Ochoa, GEAR UP Facilitator, Santa Rosa High School, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Eyra Perez, Chief Executive Officer, Partners for Educational Engagement Ready, Set, College! Noe Ortiz, Chief Operations Officer, Partners for Educational Engagement

Session 202 – Lantana Session 302 – Lantana Understanding the Value of Team Archetypes and Where You Fit College Transition – An Innovative Model Designed for Student Success

Attend this session to explore your individual archetype and that of your team or Too few students are graduating from high school ready for the rigors of college. College organization. You will leave with a better understanding of how you can develop your Transition Specialists play a critical role in the pipeline to postsecondary education. Discover team’s strengths to the benefit of your overall organization. If you enjoy personality tests, valuable tips and tools, discuss best practices with colleagues, and learn how social media you will love this fresh take on the “personalities” of teams. plays an integral part in connecting with students to ensure they successfully transition, persist, and complete. Presenter: Matt Meuleners, FOCUS Training, Inc. Presenters: Carlos Garcia, College Transition Specialist, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) ISD Session 203 – Plumeria Alonso Garcia, College Transition Specialist, PSJA ISD Helping Students and Parents Look Beyond College Admission Requirements Catherine Molina, College Transition Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP/PSJA ISD

Students and parents can usually identify the basic college admission requirements Session 303 – Plumeria such as ApplyTexas, college entrance exams, transcripts, essays, and recommendations. Creating Coaching Communities at Your School But do they understand college application pools, recruitment priorities, selectivity, and admission decision dynamics? This workshop will equip counselors, advisors, and other Schools across Texas have begun working with the nonprofit EduGuide to coach students’ GEAR UP staff with information, strategies, and resources to help frame and message social emotional strengths to increase achievement. This workshop will walk GEAR UP and the importance of test prep sessions, waivers, meeting deadlines, taking essay writing school leaders through the process of planning their own coaching programs with EduGuide seriously, and not blowing off practice exams. at the middle, high school, and college level.

Presenters: Presenter: Eyra Perez, Chief Executive Officer, Partners for Educational Engagement Bryan Taylor, President, EduGuide Noe Ortiz, Chief Operations Officer, Partners for Educational Engagement Monday, November 6th, 2017 Monday, November 6th, 2017 Concurrent Sessions Four | 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM Concurrent Sessions Three | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Session 402 – Lantana Session 301 – Camelia Securing Administrative Support Stopping Summer Melt! Ensuring Your Students Matriculate into College Working with superintendents and principals can present challenges. This session will It’s graduation day, all checklists are checked, and summer break has started… But explore ways to secure district and campus administrative support. The session will also when fall semester starts, your students are not on the student rosters at their colleges, provide a platform for the exchange of ideas, so come prepared to share your efforts as we leaving you baffled and disappointed. Transition to college is a difficult and highly learn from each other. individualized process with academic, social, and financial aspects, leaving our students and parents confused and overwhelmed. This workshop will provide you with strategies Presenter: Andrae Rhyne, Projector Director, DeSoto ISD

19 Session 403 – Plumeria Which classes? This session will explore several service delivery options One Giant Leap to End Summer Melt and will provide opportunity for participant reflection and participation.

Annually, between 10-44% of college-intending students fail to enroll in postsecondary Presenters: education the fall after high school graduation. In Texas, that is often the result of not Cedric Ford, Site Coordinator, DeSoto ISD being college ready. Region One ESC GEAR UP, in partnership with the University Cinneamone Phillips, Site Coordinator, DeSoto ISD of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Texas A&M International University, developed Ron Cross, Site Coordinator, DeSoto ISD interventions for students that were not deemed TSI clear and were at greatest risk of succumbing to summer melt. Through their Jump Start and Summer Bridge programs, Session 503 – Plumeria respectively, both universities provided students with opportunities to connect to the How to Think Out of This World university community in an effort to ease the transition to postsecondary education. By developing a foundation for college readiness through exposure to college rigor and Are you helping students as they launch into college? Region One ESC GEAR UP and varied student experiences, UTRGV and TAMIU worked to ensure the success of GEAR Seeds Training have partnered on countless missions over the past 11 years to provide UP college freshmen. students, parents, and educators with a high-impact, skill-building program. Together they have given students, parents, and educators the tools they need to be successful Presenters: in the classroom, the real world, and beyond. Ricardo Lopez, Education Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! Nicole Saenz, Education Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! This out-of-this-world workshop gives educators two immersive experiences of brain- based learning and social emotional development tools. Learn how to build stronger, Tuesday, November 7th, 2017 faster neural connections in the brain so that learning is easier and more permanent. Concurrent Sessions Five | 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM Experience one of the most flat-out fun ways to teach responsibility and learn about multi-modal approaches for ensuring the balanced development of your students. This Session 501 – Camelia session will be beneficial for district and school administrators, test coordinators, deans Getting Students Ready for Life After HS – MoneyCamp Program of instruction, counselors, and teachers.

MoneyCamp is an interactive program that infuses interaction and energy into student Presenters: transition and financial literacy! It begins with the Road To College Success game. Road Greg Evans, Executive Director, Seeds Training To College Success (RTCS) is a human-sized board game used to prepare high school Joe Castillo, GEAR UP Education Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, students and college freshmen for life in college. It’s upbeat and interactive, where College! players walk around the human-sized board registering for classes, managing money Justin Boudreau, Director of Programs, Seeds Training and discussing “risky” scenarios that could arise on a college campus. With more fun tools like “Let’s Make a Deal,” “Busy Banking,” “Saving and Giving Interactive Exercise,” Session 504 – Primrose B “Budget Mania,” and “Interactive Budgeting,” we teach students how banks work, how Leading Through Ambiguity – How to Be a Sounding Board During the College Process to balance a checkbook, and do a personal budget in a fun, practical way. Educators have the tough task of working with students who don’t know the right Presenter: questions in the college process, much less the right answers. This state of ambiguity Deborah McClean, Owner, WIN Multimedia Designs, LLC creates serious stress and psychological burdens on students during an already turbulent time. This session explores how professionals can support wise and thoughtful Session 502 – Lantana decision-making when working with overwhelmed students and parents. Choosing the Right Student Service Model Presenter: Regular access to students can be an issue. How to find the right mix? Which teachers? Matt Meuleners, FOCUS Training, Inc.

21 Tuesday, November 7th, 2017 Session 604 – Primrose B How to Be Safe in Cyberspace – The Digital YOU Concurrent Sessions Six | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ENGAGE in the discovery of the Digital YOU! We’ve become people Session 601 – Camelia with two faces. Your real face and your Facebook. What are the expert The College Connection Experience – Recruiting the Most At-Risk Students “Tweeters” missing? How are you putting yourself at risk with every picture posted and every 140-character tweet? Teachers, parents, Do you have seniors who, after years of interventions and multiple GEAR UP students, and administrators are stalked, fired, and their identity, their experiences, are ambivalent about college and reluctant to apply? Are these students YOU, is sold every day on the black market because of their social media. struggling to connect the benefits of a college education with a future career and saying Are you at risk? that college is not for them? In this workshop, participants will discover how Region One ESC GEAR UP, in partnership with local community colleges and technical schools, Attendees will be shocked at what their information is used for, how it affects their provided a series of customized recruitment events at the local colleges and high school jobs, and how they have become celebrities in our worldwide community of Social campuses to successfully reach the most at-risk seniors. Media. Attendees can also learn what the dangers of social media bring with our youth, including cyberbullying and sexting! We can empower our youth to engage in moral Presenters: courage when faced with these challenges. Angela Delamar, Education Specialist, Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College Noelia Flores, GEAR UP Facilitator, Mercedes HS Presenter: Dulce Martinez, Coordinator of Student Recruitment, Texas Southmost College Mark Seguin, CEO & Speaker, TBG Solutions Inc.

Session 602 – Lantana 2nd Tuesday Parent Series

Adobe Connect™ Meeting is a live online conference for multiple users. The meeting Special Conference Option room is an online application that you use to conduct a meeting. The meeting room consists of various display panels (pods) and components. This session will explore how Networking Reception DeSoto ISD uses online opportunities like the one above to engage busy parents and Monday, November 6th how to extend multiple opportunities for parents to access content. 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM Primrose Prefunction Space Presenter: Heidi Williams, Family Financial Literacy Coordinator, LETS GEAR UP Please join us for a reception with our conference exhibitors! The reception is a great opportunity to browse the exhibitors’ tables, talk with them in person, Session 603 – Plumeria and find exciting new ways to connect with your GEAR UP students. There will Parent Engagement Tips & Tricks be a raffle.

Many (if not most) parents lead busy lives. How do you craft a message that gives parents a charge that their efforts are worthwhile? This session will explore approaches to leverage social media to celebrate students’ success while delivering the message #gearupworks.

Presenters: Chelse Woods, Information Technology Lead, DeSoto ISD Andrae Rhyne, Projector Director, DeSoto ISD

23 2017 TEXAS GEAR UP PARENT LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE AGENDA

All Parent Leadership Institute presentations (other than Plenary Sessions) will take place in Verbena.

Monday, November 6th, 2017 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM Registration and Information Open 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Networking Breakfast 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM Morning Plenary – Welcome Remarks by Ranjit Sidhu, NCCEP Paradigm Shift Presentation (Five minutes) Keynote Presentation by Dr. Kyle Reyes, Special Assistant to the President for Inclusion, Utah Valley University 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Concurrent Sessions One - Verbena Betty Paugh-Ortiz GEAR UP Family Engagement – A National Lens (English) Participación Familiar en GEAR UP – Una Perspectiva Nacional (Spanish); TXGU Lounge/Interactive College Knowledge Game 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM Concurrent Sessions Two – Verbena Dr. Martha Cantu & Dann Garcia Acquiring College Knowledge: What Parents Need to Know 12:15 PM – 1:45 PM Lunch Plenary & Networking Lunch – Keynote Presentation by Dr. David Laude, Senior Vice Provost and Professor of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Networking Break – First Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Concurrent Sessions Three – Verbena SaulPaul and Bianca Neal Remember Me: Practical Strategies for College-bound Students 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM Networking Break – Second Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM Concurrent Sessions Four – Verbena First Generation College Students & Parents Panel, facilitated by Tenora Huey-Hobby, GEAR UP Parent Liaison, Estacado HS, Lubbock ISD 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM Networking Exhibitor Reception (Raffle Items)

25 Tuesday, November 7, 2017 2017 TEXAS GEAR UP PARENT LEADERSHIP 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM Registration and Information Open 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Networking Breakfast INSTITUTE PRESENTERS 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Morning Plenary – Keynote Presentation by Heriberto Reynoso, CEO & Founder, Reybotics Betty Paugh-Ortiz 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM Networking Break – Third Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area Vice President of Programs 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM Concurrent Sessions Five – Verbena National Council for Community and Education Partnerships Dr. Martha Cantu & Dann Garcia In her role as Vice President of Programs, Betty oversees programs and services with a Acquiring College Knowledge: What Parents focus on continually enhancing NCCEP’s offerings and developing new programs that allow Need to Know (continued) GEAR UP communities to better serve their students and families. 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Concurrent Sessions Six – Verbena From 2004 to 2009, Betty served as Vice President at NCCEP. Although she left NCCEP for Solomon Masala a period of time, she never really left the GEAR UP family, having consulted and provided Taking the Leap Together: An Interactive Way to Feel the capacity-building services to a number of GEAR UP sites through the years. In addition, Power of Community Behind College-bound Students from 2010 to 2012, Betty served as Senior Vice President of Innovation at the National and Their Families Education Association (NEA) Foundation, where she further strengthened her management, 12:00 PM Adjourn partnership development, and leadership skills in service of educational improvements for young people. She also managed a global education program in partnership with the Pearson Foundation and Education First, involving teacher programs abroad, professional development workshops, and knowledge dissemination. Her professional background includes having served as the Director for the University of Puerto Rico-D.C. Initiative, Assistant Director for the Center for Latino Research at DePaul University, and Director of Maternal and Child Health at the National Council of La Raza. Originally from Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Betty holds a master’s degree in International Public Service Management from DePaul University, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from American University.

Dr. Martha Cantu Executive Director of College and Career Readiness Texas Valley Communities Foundation Dr. Martha A. Cantu currently serves as the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness for the Texas Valley Communities Foundation. She most recently served as the Vice President for Student Affairs at The University of Texas-Pan American. Prior to her appointment as vice president, Cantu was the director of UTPA’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). The UTPA GEAR UP Project was the second-largest grant in the nation and under Cantu’s leadership was recognized nationally as a model of best practices by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Her professional experience at UTPA began over twelve years ago as an adjunct faculty member teaching graduate classes in the College of Education. Her passion for students began in 1985 as an educator in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, and she later served as the director of special education for CAMPS KEYNOTES WORKSHOPS the McAllen Independent School District. Her extensive professional working experience with principals, superintendents, teachers, and families in the Rio Grande Valley K-12 school paradigmshiftleadership.com

27 districts has been an important component of student success in the Rio Grande Valley. oversees day-to-day operations as well as oversees projects. Bianca led Cantu received her bachelor, master and doctoral degrees from UTPA. the teams that produced SaulPaul’s Dream in 3D Music and Arts Festival, SaulPaul’s Music Career Expo, and the mobile gaming app, SaulPaul: Dann Garcia Dream in 3D. The projects that she has overseen have contributed to more Texas Innovation and Development Officer than 100,000 youth being impacted positively, as well as entertained, Texas Valley Communities Foundation inspired, and empowered. Dann joined the Texas Valley Communities Foundation team in 2008 and serves as the Recognized for her leadership in the music industry, she was selected for Program Innovation and Development Officer. In this role, he provides extensive expertise to the Leaders in Austin Music Program, as well as the inaugural class of the educational organizations and school districts seeking to enhance college readiness efforts Music Industry Collaborative through the Austin Music Foundation. She is also a graduate in South Texas. Dann is also a nationally certified professional development provider with the of the City of Austin’s Fast Forward Business Accelerator Program and a member of The Ford Next Generation Learning program and a leadership coach for workforce development Recording Academy Texas Chapter. organizations. Through his endeavors, Dann has facilitated training sessions across the Originally from Los Angeles, Bianca graduated from the University of Southern California nation to hundreds of district- and school-level administrators, teachers and parents. (USC), where she studied the music and entertainment industry. Bianca constantly gives SaulPaul back and has shared with audiences across the country at universities and on panels. She Musician with a Message has spoken at USC, as well as at SXSW on topics regarding mobile technology and bridging ReRoute Productions music, education, and entertainment. For the last decade, SaulPaul has earned an international reputation as a “Musician with a In her spare time, Bianca lives another life as an artist. She is the illustrator of ten Message” who can entertain and educate any audience. SaulPaul “started from the bottom” children’s books, as well as a muralist and award-winning filmmaker. She is the founder of but despite being born into a world of poverty, drugs, and crime, he has risen to prominence H.O.P.E.F.U.L. Art (Helping Other People Experience Fulfilling Unlimited Lives through Art). via his limitless creativity and talent. He’s performed at some of the world’s most esteemed Through this organization she gives back to the community and has taught youth and adults music festivals and lectured at some of America’s top universities. SaulPaul is the author the art of art. of the book Dream in 3D (Tate Publishing) and has influenced nearly a million audience Bianca has a B.A. from USC and an M.F.A. from The University of Texas at Austin. members through his work. His universally accessible story of tragedy to triumph has been told on screen through the film Tower to Tower. Solomon Masala Principal, Source Consulting Group SaulPaul has spoken and performed all across America. In addition to impacting the youth in numerous cities, SaulPaul has trained, led workshops, and presented keynotes to staff Ask about ‘team building’ and most people will tell you stories of cheesy and lame across the country as well. When not serving youth, he is presenting to his adult peers at experiences. For K. Solomon Masala, that was a frightening prospect. So he created the professional conferences across the country. SaulPaul has presented keynotes at TEDx, Source Consulting Group. Tapping into a rare magnetism, Solomon and his team deliver the SXSWedu, Texas Association of School Boards, and Casey Family Programs, to name a antidote to team-building. A captivating blend of experiential, innovative processes designed few. He has also presented adult workshops at the United Way, Goodwill, National Dropout to get teams to do what they really want: knock it out of the park every time and have an Prevention Conference, and Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, among excellent time doing it—for the long run. numerous other organizations. Ready to sit around and stare at PowerPoint slides? Then Solomon’s not the person to call. Winner of numerous awards, including Austinite of the Year as well as Austin Music Award For 20 years he’s developed and delivered powerful kinesthetic—meaning you get up out of for Music Activism and Education, SaulPaul is also a GRAMMY Governor on the board of your seat, you experience, you engage, and you do what’s being learned. Learning not only directors at the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy. sticks and keeps expanding after the training, it’s a blast to do it that way. Solomon brings this into everything: interactive keynotes, organizational development Bianca Neal processes, outdoor adventure experiences, and large-scale percussion programs. He Co-Manager also designs and develops multimedia curricula and interactive presentations on a ReRoute Productions national level. Bianca Neal is the co-manager of ReRoute Music Group’s flagship artist SaulPaul, as well as co-owner of ReRoute Music Group (RMG). As Chief Operations Officer at RMG, she

29 2017 STUDENT TRACK SCHEDULE (MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 ONLY)

All Student Track presentations (other than Plenary Sessions) will take place in Primrose B.

Monday, November 6, 2017 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM Registration and Information Open 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Networking Breakfast 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM Morning Plenary – Welcome Remarks by Ranjit Sidhu, NCCEP Paradigm Shift Presentation (Five minutes) Keynote Presentation by Dr. Kyle Reyes, Special Assistant to the President for Inclusion, Utah Valley University 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Concurrent Sessions One – Primrose B Dr. Kyle Reyes 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM Concurrent Sessions Two – Primrose B Proof Leadership 12:15 PM – 1:45 PM Lunch Plenary & Networking Lunch – Keynote Presentation by Dr. David Laude, Senior Vice Provost and Professor of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Networking Break – First Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Concurrent Sessions Three – Primrose B Heriberto Reynoso 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM Networking Break – Second Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM Concurrent Sessions Four – TXGU Lounge “Accepted! Now What?” Student Transition Packet Exploration

Debrief and Dinner at Shake Shack

31 2017 TEXAS GEAR UP STUDENT TRACK PRESENTER 2017 TEXAS GEAR UP CONFERENCE COUNSELOR INSTITUTE AGENDA Dustin Peterson Founder & Leader Proof Leadership The Texas GEAR UP Counselor Institute is a professional development opportunity for school counselors wanting to expand their knowledge Dustin Peterson leads the effort at Proof Leadership. He left public relations in 2005 around the college advising process. Designed and led by members to find a more fulfilling job and instead found a calling. He is passionate about training of TACAC, the Institute focuses on admissions and financial aid, with the and developing leaders to maximize strengths, engage their teams, and get results goal of equipping counselors with tools and up-to-date information to effectively advise through people. He has trained leaders at Rice University, Indiana University, and students on the college application process and prepare them for postsecondary UNLV, and has trained, coached, and consulted for numerous organizations in the options. private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

After three years of teaching and training leaders at Rice, Dustin joined Broad Prize All Counselor Institute sessions (other than Plenary Sessions) will take place in recipient YES Prep Public Charter Schools to create its first-ever leadership and Primrose A. management training program, which produced impressive results. Most significantly, it strengthened employee engagement throughout the organization and provided Monday, November 6, 2017 leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively lead schools. 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM Registration and Information Open Dustin completed his M.S. in Educational Leadership from Indiana University and 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Networking Breakfast his B.S. in Communications at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is the author of 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM Morning Plenary – Welcome Remarks by Reset: How to Get Paid and Love What You Do and lives in Houston with his wife and Ranjit Sidhu, NCCEP four kiddos. Paradigm Shift Presentation (Five minutes) Keynote Presentation by Dr. Kyle Reyes, Special Assistant to the President for Inclusion, Utah Valley University 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM C oncurrent Sessions One – Primrose A Counselor Institute – The Process: College Applications Take a look behind the scenes as we discuss the college application process. Participants will serve on a mock admission committee using case studies to review application files and to assign an admission decision. The exercise will point out the intricacies of the process and the importance of assembling a strong application. Participants will gain insight and understanding as to what is valued in the application. 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM Concurrent Sessions Two – Primrose A Counselor Institute – Supporting Students Through the Application Process As a school counselor, one of the best ways to help college-bound students is to keep them organized. There are lots of tools and resources available to help you and

33 the student stay organized and on top of application 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM Concurrent Sessions Five – Primrose A requirements. This prevents missed deadlines and Counselor Institute – Financial Aid incomplete college applications. This session will discuss FAFSA, Prior-Prior Year, CSS Profile, TASFA, ways to tackle the college application process. scholarship applications, and more. Take a 12:15 PM – 1:45 PM Lunch Plenary & Networking Lunch – Keynote practical look at completing financial aid and Presentation by Dr. David Laude, Senior Vice scholarship requirements and gain a better Provost and Professor of Chemistry, The understanding of the financial aid process. University of Texas at Austin 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Concurrent Sessions Six – Primrose A 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Networking Break – First Raffle Drawing in Exhibitor Area Counselor Institute – Supporting Students to and 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Concurrent Sessions Three – Primrose A through College Counselor Institute – Working with Special Populations College success doesn’t stop with the acceptance letter— Learn and share best practices for working with first- gaining admission is only the first step in the journey. generation, undocumented, and international students and Equipping students with the skills to be successful through students pursuing collegiate athletics and fine/performing college begins with the college search process. Discuss arts through roundtable discussions led by TACAC tips and strategies for building confident, prepared, self- Executive Board members. reliant students. 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM Networking Break – Second Raffle Drawing 12:00 PM Adjourn in Exhibitor Area 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM Concurrent Sessions Four – Primrose A Counselor Institute – Writing for College Applications Application essays, college supplements, résumés, and recommendation letters each help to tell a student’s story. We will review the purpose of each piece of writing, tips for composing the documents, and suggestions for training students and teachers. 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM Networking Exhibitor Reception (Raffle Items) Stop by our booth to learn more about how we can partner with your GEAR UP program and how you Tuesday, November 7, 2017 can win a FREE day of training 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM Registration and Information Open 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Networking Breakfast Join us for our workshops Leading Through Ambiguity – How to Be a Sounding 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Morning Plenary – Keynote Presentation by Heriberto Board During the College Process Reynoso, CEO & Founder, Reybotics and 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM Networking Break – Third Raffle Drawing in Understanding the Value of Team Archetypes and Where You Fit Exhibitor Area

Speaking & Training College Readiness Curriculum Developed & presented by Mentorship & Transition 531 south water street milwaukee, wi 53204 Professional Development 877.273.4670 phone 414.273.4671 fax College Bus Tours focustraining.com

35 2017 TEXAS GEAR UP CONFERENCE COUNSELOR Angelica Melendez College & Financial Aid Specialist, South San Antonio High School INSTITUTE PRESENTERS Upon graduating from Texas A&M University, Angelica started working in admissions at her alma mater. In 2003, Angelica transitioned to Brad Durchslag Palo Alto College advising transfer students and working with the dual Associate Director of Recruitment, Trinity University credit team. Over the years, her roles on both sides of the desk have included roles as regional admissions coordinator and event coordinator. Brad Durchslag has served as the Associate Director of Recruitment for the Dallas-Fort In 2007, she transitioned to Lytle High School as the College Readiness Worth region since 2013. Brad oversees the operations of the regional office of Trinity’s Coordinator for a period of six years, where she began her career in college advising. Office of Admissions, as well as conducts student outreach and evaluates applications. In the summer of 2013, Angelica moved to her current position at South San Antonio Prior to this role, Durchslag served as an admissions counselor at Trinity University, High School as the College & Financial Aid Specialist, where she coordinates with recruiting students from high schools in Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and out-of-state community-based organizations to build a strong college advising team. Additionally, markets. He also served on the hiring committee for new admissions counselors, she manages the dual credit and AP programs and is the College Board Assessment supervised recruitment interns, and helped oversee the university’s Tour Guide Data analyst on campus. Throughout her 17 years, she has maintained membership program. Previously, Durchslag coached women’s basketball at several well-known in both the Texas and National Associations for College Admission Counseling. Her colleges and universities, including Trinity University, Whittier College, and Carnegie roles within TACAC include Professional Development Chair, Drive-In Workshop Co- Mellon University. Brad is a member of the National Association for College Admission Chair, Conference Coordinator, Delegate, and she is currently serving as President of Counseling (NACAC) and the Texas Association for College Admission Counseling the association. (TACAC). He currently serves as the chair for the TACAC Advancement committee. Kimberly West Micah Lyles Director of National Recruitment, University of Oklahoma Associate Director of College Counseling, The Hockaday School Originally from Houston, Kimberly West graduated from the University of Oklahoma Prior to coming to The Hockaday School in 2016, Micah served as lead counselor in 2002 with a B.A. in Psychology and in 2004 with a Master in Human Relations. at Highland Park High School from 2010-2016. He began in the HPHS counseling In her professional career, Kimberly has served the University of Oklahoma in department as a school counselor in 2006. Previously, Micah worked in the Plano ISD several capacities, including admission counselor for numerous Oklahoma City metro system at both Memorial Elementary School and Clark High School. He filled his first schools, Coordinator of African American Student Life, and overseeing all North counseling role in 1999 as the K-12 counselor for Sam Rayburn ISD. Early in his career, Texas recruitment. In her current role, Kimberly directs all out-of-state recruitment he served as an admissions counselor for East Texas Baptist University and as a high for the university, including supervising staff members in California, Colorado, Illinois, school English and theatre teacher. Micah is a member of the National Association for Kansas, and Texas. She also enjoys volunteering her time and talents with the College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Texas Association for College Admission Texas Association of College Admission Counseling by serving as the Professional Counseling (TACAC), and the College Board. He currently serves as the co-chair for Development Committee Co-Chair, on the Conference Planning Committee, and as the TACAC Professional Development committee and has been a presenter at Drive-in Faculty for Admission and College Counseling Institute. Workshops in Dallas and Ft. Worth and multiple TACAC conferences. He has served on the resident faculty for TACAC’s Admission and College Counseling Institute and on counselor advisory boards for Southern Methodist University, Millsaps College, and Furman University.

37 MEMBERSHIP SINCERE THANKS TO OUR ADVERTISERS, BENEFITS: EXHIBITORS, AND SPONSORS FOR THEIR • Be recognized as a counselor who is interested in the future GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THIS CONFERENCE: of our profession and as a person who has expressed a willingness to share your ideas. • Receive support from the Exhibitors network of professional friendships. Reach Higher. • Expand your professional expertise by reading TACAC publications, attending TACAC workshops and Join Our conferences, and exchanging ideas with other counselors. • Become knowledgeable Community. about college admissions and financial aid and the best practices surrounding those Membership in TACAC offers decisions. • Be able to contribute by counselors and admission/financial participating in committee activities which affect your aid staff a professional network, profession and the students opportunities to enhance skills, and you serve. • Have an impact beyond information to help counsel your your own institution. Your involvement will add a new students more effectively. dimension to your job, In-Kind Sponsor enhance your professional development, and move ahead NCCEP in your career.

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The opinions expressed in these materials do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. The inclusion of resources should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any private organization or business Save listed herein. the Date! 2018 ANNUAL April 22-23, 2018 Moody Gardens Resort Galveston, TX 39