Led by Maurice Canyon, De Anza College’s Umoja community counselor and Charles Van Meurs, De Anza’s Men of Color community counselor, the annual Black High School Student Empowerment Conference featured 17 different schools from the bay area and focused on preparing black students for college and life on Feb. 8.
De Anza first held the conference, then called it the African American High School Empowerment Conference, on Feb. 6, 2019 and has continued hosting it annually except for in winter 2021 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conference featured speakers including De Anza President Lloyd Holmes and LaMonica Peters, a reporter for KTVU Fox 2.
“We want you here at De Anza,” Canyon said. ”We want you here to be a part of Umoja, we want you all to represent yourself as family. We welcome that. But no matter what school you go to, find your happy place. Get engaged, get involved, because when you do, you’re more successful.”
