By Cynthia Hubert
Student Academic Success Day this year offers tools for overcoming the extraordinary challenges that 2020 is posing for scholars at Sacramento State and around the globe.
The event takes place virtually from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21.
Workshops, speeches and inspirational segments will embody the event’s theme of “Success through Challenge,” said Marcellene Watson-Derbigny, associate vice president for Student Retention and Academic Success.
Student Academic Success Day is designed to help scholars “generate the fuel to stay motivated throughout the semester.”
The event “is a wonderful opportunity to open the heart and mind” and discover ways to overcome the challenges of being a student during difficult times for the community, the country and the world, Watson-Derbigny said.
Most of Sac State’s classes this fall are being held online because of the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the transition has been stressful for students as well as faculty and staff. Tensions over social justice issues have spurred protests and calls for reform. Widespread unemployment has created financial strain.
Each of these topics and others will be addressed during the event.
The opening session will feature Dwight Taylor Sr., known as “The Encouragement Expert.” A Sacramento resident, Taylor is an author, frequent TED Talk speaker and a specialist in coaching students to become leaders. His topic is “Closing the Achievement Gap: Ownership and Opportunity.”
Later, panelists will discuss issues that impact education and equity. Speakers will include representatives of the Sacramento County Office of Education and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who served under President Barack Obama.
Eric Thomas, a critically acclaimed author and motivational speaker, will speak at noon. Widely known as “ET,” Thomas consults with corporations, organizations, and major-league sports franchises about strategies for finding personal and professional success.
Other sessions will address health and beauty; race in America; equity for underserved communities and vulnerable student populations; and techniques for finding optimism amidst the pandemic.
Student Academic Success Day is designed to help scholars “generate the fuel to stay motivated throughout the semester,” said Ruth Williams, coordinator of Sac State’s Dedicated to Educating, Graduating, and Retaining Educational Equity Students (DEGREES) Project. “Every student should experience the phenomenon that is SAS Day.”
Students can register on the Student Academic Success Day web page.