Mid-America Christian University will host the Asian Empowerment Youth Conference from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, on the university campus in south Oklahoma City.
The conference, which is open to high schoolers, will feature multiple discussion panels hosted by Asian leaders in the community. Panelists include Asian-American Thuan “Toon” Nguyen, who announced candidacy for the Oklahoma City Ward 5 City Council seat in March, and Indian-American psychiatrist Dr. R. Murali Krishna, who co-founded the INTEGRIS James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body and Spirit.
Panels will be moderated by Steve Lee with the Asian District Cultural Association, who helped organize the event. Leaders within the fields of law, medicine, entrepreneurship, public policy, social justice, law enforcement, STEM and education were consulted at length to create the conference.
“In visiting with community leaders, the need for conferences that focus on representation became apparent,” said Erica Alvarez-Stanton, MACU’s Executive Director of Community Outreach and Services.
She said the conference provides a platform for conversation between professionals within different demographics and young people who aspire to reach those same goals.
Many local businesses and organizations have partnered with MACU to make the conference possible, including the Asia Society of Oklahoma, the Asian District Cultural Association, the India Association of Oklahoma, CAIR Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Historical Society and Lee’s Sandwiches.
So far, nearly 100 students have signed up to attend. Two graduating seniors will be awarded with $500 scholarships to MACU at the conclusion of the event.