Clemson's Men of Color Summit aims to close college, job opportunity gap

Clemson University's Men of Color National Summit is designed to close the collegiate opportunity gap for African American and Hispanic males.

The sixth annual summit will take place Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29.

Dr. Julie McGaha, magnet and innovative programs coordinator at Southside High School, said the summit is designed to build bridges to close the opportunity gap for Hispanic and Black young men.

"Our goal is to help create as many pathways to college as possible," McGaha said. "Unfortunately, we know that young men of color graduate from high school and enter college less than their majority peers. Anything we can do to close that opportunity gap is what we want to do for students. That is the specific aim of this program."

The event, which is sold out, brings together approximately 2,400 high school and college students, business professionals, educators, government officials and industry leaders. The importance of education, best practices and choices to increase high school and college graduation rates are the summit's focus, according to Clemson's website.

High school and middle school students are able to learn about careers and employers in the area as well.

"When we're talking to students, a lot of times, one thing that we always hear that they're interested in is being professional athletes, rappers, actors, things that will bring them a lot of money," said Bennie Gallman, associate director of Clemson's Tiger Alliance. "So, we just want to broaden their horizons. There are other ways to get the money that you want. Have a backup plan. There is nothing wrong with pursuing these dreams but going to college opens your eyes up to more things."

Clemson student Taj Mack-Pete previously attended the Men of Color Summit. He is currently an Elementary Education major in the class of 2024.

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"The biggest thing is, people don't know about college in general," Mack-Pete said."(The summit is) more of the knowledge, getting the knowledge out there. Trying to catch everyone up with ... 'What is college? Why should you attend? What correlates with your goals?'"

Omar Thomas, an Economics major, said "During the summit, we heard from several keynote speakers, and they were people who didn't have the best advantages in life. They showed how they, too, can excel."

Thomas (Class of 2025) said he benefited from seminars that focused on self-care and scholarships.

"It wasn't just promoting college. It was promoting how you can be your best self," Thomas said.

Here is how the Men of Color National Summit makes an impact

Paul Garrett, associate principal at T.L. Hanna High School, said he noticed students' academic performance and behavior improve after attending the summit.

"Because they been impacted by something so positive, I see them start to think about the decisions they make," Garrett said. "The relevance of how important it is that this event has an impact on those students but yet that impact is not just to the African American or Latino community.

"That impact is over a whole school because the more positive we can have those students' impact, the more positive we can make the entire culture."

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Students will be able to hear and meet successful people who look like them, which leaves a lasting impression.

"Workshops that help the kids to develop self-confidence and to help them dream about what they have the possibility to become and do have been the ones that I see that have the most positive impact on students," Garrett said.

Mack-Pete echoed his sentiments. "A lot of people need that uplifting that you get from some of these speakers. To see there's a Mexican American astronaut, I have never even thought about being an astronaut. There are people who have done it before, and if they haven't, you can be the first."

Students also hear about the difficulties of being a minority on campus.

"Don't be discouraged because you won't see people like yourself on campus as much. Don't be discouraged if you see more white students or more female students. Just know you belong where you are," Thomas said.

The summit covers financial aid, scholarships and self-care.

"As many opportunities as we can give them to put these experiences of them is important, so, when they are seniors, they know the classes they need to take, they know when to take the SAT, they know what to expect with college essays and they know what they need to do. They know there is a pathway to get to college," McGaha said.

Tiger Alliance program provides mentors

The Men of Color Summit works in conjunction with Clemson's Tiger Alliance.

"The whole point of the Tiger Alliance is to help the statistic of African American and Hispanic males get to college because we are the statistic least likely to go to college," Thomas said.

Clemson's Tiger Alliance is a "college-access program designed to help create pathways to college and build a college-going culture for African-American and Hispanic ninth- to 12th-grade high school students in the Upstate of South Carolina" according to the website.

The program provides high school students with collegiate mentors. Students also have the opportunity to stay on college campuses for a week during the summer.

Greenville News reporter Royale Bonds covers affordable housing and answers your questions in her "Ask Royale" column. Reach Royale via email at rbonds@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson's Men of Color Summit aims to close college, job opportunity gap