B-CU Presents at National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Conference

Jabal Moss, Ronnie Mack, Derenzo Thomas and Ariana Rodriguez recently attended the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. Over 7,000 student affairs professionals attended the conference, where it’s the largest of its kind. The mission of the NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program is to increase the number of historically disenfranchised and underrepresented professionals in student affairs and/or higher education. Throughout the conference, the attendees had the opportunity to participate in a plethora of educational sessions, networking events and keynotes from top leaders in the industry.

B-CU’s Coordinator of Transitional Programs, Jabal Moss, and Ronnie Mack, New Student Orientation Coordinator, presented on the success of the Wildcat Immersion Program, formerly known as Summer Bridge. The presentation was titled, “From Trials and Tribulations to Triumph: Developing an Effective Summer Bridge Program at Your Minority Serving Institution.” The presentation focused on the University's dedication to students' long-term personal and academic success. Additionally, it gave new professionals strategies for coaching students through difficult obstacles impeding their educational focus. From this presentation, institutions that attended the conference will be able to transform their communities by using similar program models to engage incoming students.

Additionally, Ariana Rodriguez, a sophomore and Derenzo Thomas a junior, both studying psychology, were selected to participate in the NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP) Summer Internship Program and attend the NASPA Conference on a scholarship. After attending NASPA, the students were able to participate in informative sessions with innovative student affairs leaders from across the nation. As the spring term comes to a close, the students will prepare to broaden their professional experience immersed in a new campus culture during the summer. Ariana will intern at California State University – Chico located in Chico, California. Derenzo will intern at Ohio State University located in Columbus, Ohio.