Melissa Ruiz
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Dance Floor Theory: How To Solve Student ApathyAfter the music fades and the hard work sets in, it might feel like you are the only one left doing all the work. Every year a massive number students join student groups only to disappear a few months later. Why does this happen and how can you prevent it in your group? In this session we’ll break down the hidden secrets to recruiting & retaining group members & officers so that the party keeps going on long after you’ve left the dance floor.
Melissa Ruiz, MSW began her career in higher education in Conferences and Events, before transitioning into Residence Life and then Student Life and Academic Advising. She jokingly says there isn’t a job in Student Affairs she hasn’t done yet. She obtained her Master of Social Work degree from Rutgers University, along with a certification in Gerontology and was a John A. Hartford Foundation Fellow.
Before college, Melissa was a competitive dancer, trained in tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical and hip hop. At the ripe age of 16, she went on tour with some of the country’s greatest dancers and choreographers through Dance America. Melissa’s talent also took her to the Miss New Jersey stage, where is placed first runner up. Through her time in pageants, she combined her love of dance and advocacy for older adults by performing at nursing homes, coordinating fundraisers and educating people about Alzheimer’s Disease. After her grandmother was diagnosed, Melissa made it her goal to spread awareness and raise funds for the treatment and ultimate cure for the disease. Melissa is part of a facilitation team at Swift Kick that has been named the #1 student leadership program 5 years by schools nationwide and has already worked with over 550 colleges in almost every state. Over 227,000 students have already experienced the shift of “Dance Floor Theory” Leadership Training to help them fight apathy on their campus. She also authored the Amazon.com award winning book “First Year Student to First Year Success.” |
Dr. Khushnur Z. Dadabhoy
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Free Speech or Hate Speech?
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Vice President Student Services
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In recent years, there has been a rise in verbal abuse, micro aggressions and violence directed at people of color, the GLBTQ community, women, Muslims, Jews and other historically persecuted groups. Among the settings of these expressions of intolerance are college and university campuses, where bias incidents have occurred. Most students, faculty, staff and administrators on most campuses do not know how to appropriately address these issues. This workshop will address ways we can keep our students and campuses safe and protect our civil liberties and rights.
Dr. Khushnur Dadabhoy is the Vice President of Student Services at Barstow Community College. She was born and raised in India and has been in the US since 1983. She has her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Bombay, India, Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Innovation from the University of Colorado Denver. Dr. Dadabhoy has over 25 years of professional leadership in student affairs including visionary and broad-based leadership, supervision, policy planning and program development in student affairs. Her teaching experiences focus on first year seminars, students of color, women of color, race, gender and poverty. She is dedicated to social justice and issues of equity as they especially relate to marginalized and poor women of color. Her research interests include access and equity for students of color to higher education, critical race theory and hegemony in student affairs practice and in higher education. |
Charlie Fredrick
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Know Your Rights in Police EncountersThe ACLU works with communities to make sure people are informed about their rights. When you know what the law says, you can better protect yourself, your family, and your community. This training provides a basic overview of your constitutional rights when dealing with the police
Charlie Fredrick is a Senior Organizer at the ACLU of Northern California focusing on police practices and criminal justice reform. As a white-anti-racist, queer/trans, and feminist identified person from a working class background, Charlie is dedicated to bringing an intersectional approach to their social change work. They were first politicized in the late 90’s by the global justice people’s movement and the collective social imaginary that “another world is not only possible but is on its way” and recognized early on that building another world meant building strong organizational and community resiliency so that we can not only fight against oppression built build the future we want in the here and now. When not working, Charlie enjoys reading, listening to music, and cooking soul food with friends. |
Raquel Ortega
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Know Your Rights for ImmigrantsEveryone has certain basic rights afforded to them by the constitution, regardless of your citizenship status. During this training you will learn basic rights on what to do if ICE makes a home visit, stops you on the street or in your car. This training will also cover basic information on how to prepare yourself, your co-workers, and your family.
Raquel Ortega is an Organizer at the ACLU of Northern California focusing primarily on Immigrants’ Rights. Born and raised in Tucson, AZ Raquel first began her activism fighting against SB 1070—Arizona’s infamous “Show Me Your Papers”, anti-immigrant law. After attending Smith College and graduating with a degree in Government she moved to Washington, DC where she worked as a Field Coordinator at URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity. During her time at URGE she worked with hundreds of young people to fight for reproductive freedom on campuses and in their communities. In 2013 Raquel co-founded the West Fund, an abortion fund in West Texas that provides gap funding for patients seeking abortion care. She currently sits on the Board acting as Development Director. In her free time, Raquel loves to salsa dance, watch sci-fi themed shows on Netflix and train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
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Jeanne Kim Denton
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Money Savvy AdultingMoney isn’t everything. But, money management is a critical life skill. Could our students walk out confidently in to their newly found independent lives without making financial blunders? It’s important to set a strong financial foundation in young adults. Learn about the most common money myths and mistakes. Take away lessons that students can use for the rest of their successful lives.
With an educational background in biological sciences, Jeanne Denton takes on a logical, data-driven, fact-based approach to marketing and advertising. Her comprehensive career in the industry evolved in to a director role, giving her a breadth of experience. She asks the hard questions to delve in to the objectives of a project. And on the creative side, she considers the story telling and head-turning wow factor in every assignment. Her project management style is characterized by her uncanny attention to detail, a high regard for written and verbal communication with an emphasis on strategic leadership.
Most recently, she has taken on a stance to improve the state of financial literacy. She now takes her knowledge from years of marketing in the financial sector to educate Americans on money management skills. |
