By Staff Writer
The Ninth Annual East County Young Men’s Leadership Conference at Mount Miguel High School was held on Saturday, January 25. The theme was: Breaking the Barrier of Impossibility: How Bad Do You Want It? Students and mentors from throughout San Diego County attended the annual event. East County was represented by students from Mount Miguel, Helix Charter and Steele Canyon High Schools. A contingent from King-Chavez preparatory academy was also in attendance.
Student workshops and break out sessions included: The Value of Education, Empowering Parents and Students to Succeed, The Leader in You, Dressing For Success, How to Communicate with our Fellow Sisters, Voices Being Heard – Using Words to Deal with Anger and Pain and an historical and analytical look at the N-word.
The keynote speaker was Mr. Lavar J. Watkins, Ed.D., Metro Region Workforce Development and Employer Services Manager. Presenters included Alejandro Castillo from the University of San Diego, community college counselor Michael D. Love, high school counselor Timothy Shaw, community activist Anthony Haile, Jr., college professor Jerome Payton, Mount Miguel teacher Michael E. Love, Mount Miguel High School alumni and community activists Shakira Williams and Jerome Williams, members of the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB) from San Diego State University, and members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
The young men in attendance left with a number of skills and strategies to improve their lives through self-empowerment and good decision-making. The conference was sponsored by the Brother 2 Brother club of Mount Miguel High School. Mount Miguel High School, the Lemon Grove Collaborative, the Grossmont Union High School District and Dr. Nicodemus Watts, M.D, provided support for this conference.
