America’s Court TV Personality Joins Delta Sigma Theta Sorority               For A Day of Empowerment

Saturday, October 25 nearly 300 high school students and their parents attended the 2nd Annual African-American College Planning Conference at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, CA. The event was provided by the San Fernando Valley Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in partnership with the William S. Hart Union High School District and the College of the Canyons Upward Bound Program. The event’s keynote speaker was Judge Kevin Ross of the Daytime Emmy nominated series, America’s Court with Judge Ross which is now in it’s fifth season.

Judge Ross, an alumnus of Morehouse College and Southwestern School of Law discussed the impact of attending an HBCU (Historically Black College and University) had on his career. “The beauty of being in that environment is that you’re surrounded by other people that look like you. From the campus king and queen, to the student government, the experience affirms who you are. If you’re around other people who are trying to be as great as you are it’s infectious, it’s positive peer pressure. Initially, when I doubted that I could be a lawyer, seeing all of my Morehouse colleagues that were going to law school motivated me.”

He further engaged the audience of parents and students by using analogies from the popular Pixar film, The Incredibles to illustrate the importance of fulfilling your potential. Ross encouraged students to, “Go far beyond what your eyes can see. You will surprise yourself at what you can achieve if you really tap into your greatness.”

Following the keynote, conference participants attended three workshops on topics including financial aid and scholarship assistance, strategies for writing personal statements, which is often a college application requirement, standardized testing clarification and a standing room only session on HBCUs and Black College Tours.

The event also included a recent college graduates panel, that discussed their reasoning behind choosing their alma maters and gave great tips for finding the right campus employment. The panel also encouraged the college bound crowd to not only network with their peers but with faculty and staff which can make a difference when it comes to scholarships and having a successful transition from undergrad to graduate school.

Conference participants also enjoyed an informative college fair which included alumni and recruiters from state schools including UCLA, USC and CSUN in addition to Howard University, Florida A&M, Spelman College and Willamette University. All were elated to share their collegiate experiences with students and parents.

Dr. Cherise Moore, Co-Chair, Workshops, Logistics & Reservations for the College Planning Conference provided her reactions on the success of the event. “The committee that put this event together worked tirelessly and it was truly a pleasure Co-Chairing the event. The feedback we’ve received thus far has been excellent. There’s clearly a huge need and demand for events such as this. We had people come from as far as Bakersfield and Long Beach to Santa Clarita to attend the conference.” Event sponsors included Nestle Corporation, C2 Education and Eurweb.com.