The Student Empowerment Academy Charter High School, 1319 E. 41st. St. in South Los Angeles, will host today at 10:30 a.m. its first student empowerment series. Area business leaders and community stakeholders will converge to highlight a new program, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), to encourage education in these fields as well as to engage and empower students and faculty.
More than 375 high school students, faculty and business leaders will listen to various experts in business and marketing and topics will include: confidence building, public speaking, taking initiative, leadership and self empowerment.
There will be presentations by Ana Figueroa, district chief of staff for Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40th), and Alfred Gregg Jr., a retired district engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Guests will also include actress/choreographer Debbie Allen, and Eartha Robinson and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.
Moderated by Gadi Schwartz, a reporter with NBC4 Southern California, confirmed panelists will include Patrick Bradley, president of the southern pacific region for Whole Foods Market; Marvin L. Smith, a board member with the Student Empowerment Academy (SEA) and a former member of the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Rams; Alex Johnson, member of the Los Angeles County Education Board; Christine Simmons, president and chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Sparks; Jamaal Bradley, a supervising animator with Dreamworks; Lida Jennings, executive director of Teach for America; Scott Culbertson, director of communications with A Place Called Home, and Jonathan Weedman, senior vice president of community relations with Wells Fargo Bank. Other panelists will include Yusef Robb, communications strategist with the mayor’s office; Hill Harper and Ericka R. McCall of Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, and Nicole Marcia, community outreach coordinator with the UCLA and David Geffen School of Medicine.
The SEA is an autonomous, small school situated on the historic Thomas Jefferson high school campus and began as the first small learning facility developed by the Los Angeles Unified School District. It’s actually a school within a school; in 2014 the SEA became an independent charter school and “local education agency” with oversight provided by the school district. The SEA serves a diverse population of youth and emphasizes STEAM principles as key disciplines that drive the growth of the world economy. The school is designed to identify exciting, new and informative opportunities to advance or increase each student’s technological gains and arts knowledge.
Among the activities this morning will be a demonstration by the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, “DJ spinning,” raffles and giveaways. The Jefferson High gymnasium will be briefly turned into a Whole Foods Market “pop-up,” while various community leaders will discuss life lessons and share “stories of empowerment” with the youth.
The morning will begin with an “audience empowerment” exercise; a roundtable discussion will take place at 10:45 a.m.; the dance demonstration will follow at 12:15 p.m., followed by a short lunch and will conclude with the SEA Career Day seminar.
