Seventh Annual Minority Male Initiative Conference

On Friday, February 26, 2021, from 9:30 am – 12:00 pm, Brookdale Community College in partnership with the Monmouth Ocean County Panhellenic Council is hosting the Seventh Annual Minority Male Initiative Conference (MMIC). This year’s conference will be a virtual format.

The goal of the conference is to allow minority male students to interact with professionals from various careers that may be of interest to them. The students will be able to network with the professionals and obtain information on what it takes to be successful in their career of interest. High school juniors and seniors are invited to join Brookdale students at the conference.

“I believe that networking and resources are a necessity to success. Our intention is to provide those opportunities for historically underrepresented groups,” said Dr. Fidel Wilson, MSW, Ed.D, Brookdale Director and Chairman of this event.

This year’s keynote speaker is Aaron K. Wilson. Aaron speaks across the country to help youth reach their goals by embracing their self-esteem, optimizing their talents, and working as a team! He is a singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and author. Additionally, he is the writer and star of the film “Life As Such” and is the author of “The Point Guard: The 15 Principles of Leadership to Unleash Your Dream”.

Aaron used to have very low self-esteem. With the help of people lifting him up and showing him true leadership, Aaron realized that the only way to conquer his insecurities and fears was to face them and become the leader he needed to be for himself.  Aaron now makes it his mission to help students realize the importance of having a positive self-image and mindset that will help them overcome their insecurities and embrace their purpose.

Aaron attended and graduated from Bryant University with a bachelor’s in business administration. He has a special way to engage youth with his energy, message, charisma, and music. Participants will walk away uplifted from this experience with a positive and exciting outlook on life and the world around them.

The conference will also include concurrent workshops. This year’s theme is “Building a Foundation for Future Success.” This will be accomplished with breakout sessions, connecting students with professionals that have experience working in careers that fall within one of the five career clusters: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math); Mainframe Computing Communications Media (Broadcasting, TV Production, Graphic Design, Journalism, Animation); Health Science (Physical Therapy, Nursing, Physician, Athletic Training, Occupational Therapy, Radiology); Business and Social Science (How to start your own Business, Accounting, Management, Finance, Marketing, Social Work, Education, Criminal Justice); Show Business & Entertainment (Theater/film/television, acting, play/screenwriting, stage, directing, film directing).

The objectives for students that attend this conference are as follows: Provide firsthand information about careers of interest from professionals that have experience working in a specific field;  Provide an opportunity for students to network virtually with professionals that may work in a field of interest; Provide students with scholarship and career opportunities. Brookdale scholarships are available for participants in the Minority Male Initiative Conference. Applications are due on March 31st.

This conference is sponsored by New Jersey Natural Gas, First Energy, and Two River Theater. For more information about this conference please contact Dr. Fidel Wilson, MSW, Ed.D at fwilson@brookdalecc.edu.