Students and Staff Empowered at National A2MEND Conference

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Mission College’s delegation made a powerful impact at the recent African American Male Education Network and Development (A2MEND) conference in Los Angeles, where students, staff, faculty, and administrators championed diversity, academic success, and economic empowerment.

---

The college’s twenty-member delegation, split equally between students and staff, actively engaged in the three-day conference themed “Standing on Business,” with students contributing to workshops and college personnel leading professional development.

Mission College’s Roshawn Walter and Dr. Julian Branch led dynamic workshops that sparked meaningful dialogue about collective action and economic resilience. Their sessions on advocacy and financial literacy drew praise from attendees across multiple institutions.

Yolanda Barnes, Faculty at Mission College, explained, "Attending A2MEND was not just an opportunity to learn and network. It was a reflective reminder of the Black community’s shared resilience, creativity, and commitment to grow and push through. It was a feeling of unity, joy, and wisdom.

The event, which drew over 1,300 participants, featured keynote addresses from influential leaders including:

• John Hope Bryant, a global authority on financial literacy who shared insights on financial empowerment
• George C. Fraser, corporate magnate turned entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker who inspired attendees with “the currencies” of professional success

Harold Oliver, a second-year Computer Networking student at Mission College, shared his transformative experience: “This year’s A2MEND conference has been phenomenal, from the breakout sessions learning about AI to all the keynote speakers. It inspired me to work toward exceptionalism instead of just being excellent.”

Dr. Maisha Jones, Dean at Mission College, noted the inspiration taken from A2MEND’s expanded pre-conference offering, the Women’s Leadership Institute: “The all-day session reinforced that we lead wherever we are planted; cultivating community focused on transparency and accountability where we affirm and validate the diverse lived experiences of our students.”

The conference yielded several key outcomes for Mission College:

• Essential components and strategies to be incorporated in the Student Equity Plan
• Content that is central to the college's Black Star Movement, a multi-year effort to increase Black student success  
• Roadmaps for building out the local chapter of the A2MEND Student Charter

Candice Brooks, Executive Assistant at Mission College was immersed in empowerment and cultural affirmation: "I found particular resonance in a session that explored the integration of hip-hop pedagogy into the curriculum. The experience reaffirmed the importance of cultural relevance in education and left me inspired by the transformative potential of such approaches."

Katrina Hermoso, Director at Mission College and a first-time conference attendee, left feeling empowered: “The conference integrated a perfect balance of honoring the past of the African American & Black community and equipping everyone with integral knowledge on a wealth & growth mindset, while creating an essence of unity.”

The college plans to expand its A2MEND participation as it has established an A2MEND charter, a student support structure that seeks to establish an affirming environment where African American male students and other men of color are able to thrive at Mission College. This paves the way for students to take even more active roles in workshop presentation and program development. 

Benjamin Demers
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
[email protected]