‘Choices not Consequences’: Summit to focus on high school graduation rates
Best-selling author and youth advocate Wes Moore will be the morning keynote speaker for the GradNation Summit: "Choices not Consequences," to be held on Thursday, Jan. 7, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Quaker Station, 135 South Broadway, on The University of Akron campus.
Wes Moore
The Summit Education Initiative, of which UA is a partner, was selected by America’s Promise Alliance to hold the one-day summit to focus on the issue of high school dropouts. The event is open to educators, high school students and everyone interested in seeing all students graduate ready for success.
The summit will be a day to learn about the pathways toward success and education attainment for students across Summit County. The day will incorporate:
- Facilitated breakout sessions with a focus on students' perspectives;
- Data about Summit County's high school students and how it tracks as a county; and
- Continuing work on a community action plan to encourage and increase educational attainment.
Moore, who last spoke on campus in 2012, is the author of the New York Times best-seller, "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, the Consequences of Personal Responsibility." In the 2011 book, Moore tells the true story of two kids with the same name, living in the same inner city. One grows up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, business leader and author; the other is serving a life sentence. Their two stories demonstrate the consequences of personal responsibility and the importance of education and community for a generation of boys searching for their way.
David Delgado
The lunchtime speaker is David Delgado, who was once “a high school dropout working minimum-wage jobs that were very unfulfilling.” After earning a GED, he came to The University of Akron and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology in August. He is now working on a graduate degree in sociology at UA. Read more about him.
Admission and parking for the summit are free, but registration is required by Dec. 12. Registration is available online. Visit the Summit Education Initiative online for more information.
Since its founding in 1997, America’s Promise Alliance has become the nation’s largest multi-sector alliance focused on the well being of young people — encompassing more than 380 partner organizations representing businesses, nonprofits, communities and policymakers. America’s Promise is now working with partners across the country to host 100 community summits through 2016 as part of its GradNation goal to reach a 90 percent on-time high school graduation rate by 2020.