Rice Athletics hosts 600 school children for annual leadership conference

Rice University’s Athletics Department and Rice faculty, students and staff hosted 600 students from IDEA Public Schools’ charter schools May 12 for the fifth annual Student Leadership Conference. The schools are based in the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and Austin, Texas.

Students from IDEA Public Schools are predominantly 85 percent Hispanic and first-generation students who would like to attend college in the future.

During the first part of the day, students heard from various speakers from different walks of life and learned about college opportunities. Students then attended breakout sessions hosted by Rice University faculty, staff and students. The sessions included “Creating a self-brand,” “How to set your goals” and “Social media awareness.”

The conference culminated with students attending the Rice-Middle Tennessee State University baseball game in the evening.