Harambee Conference Inspires Student Success

  • Retired NFL player Michael Stewart, student outreach and recruitment director Dwayne Cantrell, and CSUN vice president of student affairs William Watkins.

    From left, guest speaker and retired NFL player Michael Stewart; Dwayne Cantrell, director of student outreach and recruitment services; and William Watkins, vice president of student affairs, talk before the Harambee High School Conference gets started on Friday, Feb. 22. The CSUN Harambee Student Association and the Office of Student Outreach and Recruitment Services hosted the annual conference as part of the California State University, Northridge Black History Month celebration. The event aims to encourage African-American students to begin to prepare for college. Photo by Lee Choo.

  • A group of early 300 high school students listening to a guest speaker.

    Students listen to guest speaker and retired NFL player Michael Stewart talk about the importance of attending college on Friday, Feb. 22, in the University Student Union Northridge Center. Nearly 300 students from nine high schools throughout California attended the annual conference. Photo by Lee Choo.

  • A group of high school students, alumni and CSUN students participating in a panel discussion.

    The high school students participated in panel discussions with CSUN alumni and current students on Friday, Feb. 22. Among the questions posed: What are college parties like? How do you get financial aid? What is life like in the dorms? Photo by Lee Choo.

  • High school students listening to a panel of CSUN students and alumni speak about their college experience.

    CSUN alumna Vicki Allen, assistant director of the Matador Involvement Center, facilitates one of the student workshops. She is joined by a panel of CSUN students who answered questions from the students.

  • Three student panelists listening to fellow panelist Erika Wallers speak about her college experiences as a junior marketing major.

    Erika Wallers, junior marketing major, speaks to high school students about her college experience at the Harambee High School Conference on Friday, Feb. 22, in the University Student Union Northridge Center. The students in the workshop were from Northridge Academy High School.

After nearly 300 mostly African-American high school students proudly repeated the phrase “I am somebody,” those same students on Friday, Feb. 22, met with California State University, Northridge alumni and students to find out how they can secure a place at a college campus like CSUN.

The students, from nine high schools from throughout California including two from the San Fernando Valley, were brought to their feet by former NFL player Michael Stewart. His presentation, titled “Character: Do You Have What it Takes,” called on the students to take the necessary steps to get a college education.

“Everyone in here is a leader,” said Stewart. “If you lead, you can lead people to victory.”

The students were invited to campus by the Harambee Student Association and the CSUN Office of Student Outreach and Recruitment Services. The annual event, the Harambee High School Conference, aims to “encourage” African-American students to “get excited” and begin to prepare for college.

“This is an event unique to our campus,” said William Watkins ’74 (Urban Studies), CSUN’s vice president of student affairs, who welcomed those in attendance. “Seven years ago, there was recognition of the need for our campus community to come together to address the issues of African-Americans, our hopes, our dreams and our aspirations.”

After the welcome, the students broke out into workshops, where they were able to ask a panel of current students and alumni about their college experience. Among the questions posed: What are college parties like? How do you get financial aid? What is life like in the dorms?

“This event is very inspiring because hearing the stories from college students answers my questions of what college is like,” said Sandra Noua, a sophomore at Northridge Academy High School. “It’s kind of scary heading into college because you don’t know what to expect. Hearing from them makes a difference.”

Kim Thompson, the adviser for the Black Student Union at the Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences, said the conference is important for her students because many of their parents have not gone to college. She said the students have a lot of questions about how to enroll and graduate from college.

Arthur Crockam, president of the Harambee Student Association and a student panelist, said that when he was in high school he did not have an opportunity to ask questions about college like the students who attended this conference.

“My high school counselors weren’t as helpful to me and they didn’t provide access to this type of information,” Crockam said. “It’s a rewarding experience, being able to share our experiences with these students.”

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