Luis Rodriguez, RGV LEAD Executive Director, and Dr. Norma Salaiz, RGV LEAD contractor for Texas Regional Pathways Network intermediary team, attended the Jobs for the Future (JFF) Horizons 2022 Conference in New Orleans as part of their work with RGV LEAD’s Pathway to Prosperity programs. Rodriguez stated, “Stakeholders from the nation gathered to share emerging trends and issues impacting students’ successful transition to postsecondary and the workplace. The sessions were informative and had plenty of networking opportunities.”

Salaiz added,

I’m blessed to be still working with RGV LEAD on the TEA/JFF Pathways to Prosperity initiative serving 12 RGV districts. I’ve spent the last few days attending their Jobs for the Future – Horizons 2022 Conference in New Orleans. Stakeholders from across the nation gathered to share emerging trends and issues impacting students’ successful transition to postsecondary and the workplace. Always excited to collaborate with other leaders attempting to make a positive difference.

The duo and the rest of the TRPN intermediary team of Eliza Groff and Janie Johnston Lopez look forward to sharing new ideas and best practices with TRPN and RGV LEAD partners.

RGV LEAD meets with Dr. Derek Niño, Jobs for the Future, about
the progress of TRPN programs in the Rio Grande Valley.

CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS

Heather McGhee

“Everything that matters truly to us are things we can’t do on our own,” said keynote speaker Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. “It’s that collective problem solving that is harmed most when some of our best players are left on the sidelines” due to racist practices, policies, and systems.

Larry Miller

“Where this country is today, there’s an incredible need for more talent, more creativity, more intelligence, and a lot of that is being wasted away inside prisons and penitentiaries,” Miller said. “For businesses and companies who understand that opportunity and get out ahead of it, I think that’s going to be a major benefit for them in the long run.”

Christina Haasan

“You need to recognize that students are humans first,” said Christina Hasaan, a parent and recent Temple University graduate. “Before they decided to take on the title of student, they were moms, dads, employees, individuals with lives. And being a student just makes it that much more complicated.” 

PARTNER OR PERISH!

Finally, the value of relationships and connections—data-sharing partnerships, casual mentorships, formal collaboration, and opportunities for people to create networks and build social capital—was named as a critical component of systems and individual transformation. Michael Baston, the president of Rockland Community College, offered succinct advice: “Partner or perish.”