For the Reporter
Highline College hosts its second annual summit for young women of color on April 11, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Young Educated Ladies Leading Summit – or Y.E.L.L. Summit – is for students in 9th grade and above and designed to empower and encourage them to excel in education and beyond.
Last year the daylong summit drew approximately 300 participants. It is free and open to the public, but registration by April 6 is required. Participants will receive giveaways, prizes, breakfast and lunch.
The Y.E.L.L. Summit is patterned after that of Highline’s Black and Brown Male Summit, which has been a popular event each fall for young men of color in South King County.
Rashad Norris, who is one of the summit’s organizers and Highline’s director of Community Engagement, said there is a need for this type of event for young women.
“When we are out in area high schools, it’s clear to us that the young ladies needed to be part of the enriching conversations that the young men are receiving through our annual summit,” said Norris, who helped create and has been leading the Black and Brown Male Summit for the past five years. “Students at this age, both the young men and young women alike, are at a pivotal stage in their education. We want to support them at this important time.”
During the summit, attendees can choose from more than a dozen workshops and participate in a caucus, where students can share opinions and ideas freely with each other. Dr. Caprice Hollins will give the keynote address. A native of Seattle, Hollins earned her doctorate in clinical psychology and has more than 15 years of experience working with ethnically diverse populations, providing mental health services, facilitating workshops and teaching.
“Dr. Hollins has a unique way of talking about societal isms that effect women daily, especially women of color,” Norris said. “The message that she brings about sexism, ageism and racism is informative and empowering.”
Sponsors include KeyBank and Rotary Club of Federal Way. The full schedule and registration information is available at yell.highline.edu.
The summit is in Highline’s Student Union (Building 8) on the college’s main campus, which is located midway between Seattle and Tacoma at South 240th Street and Pacific Highway South (Highway 99).
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