MLK Student
Leadership Conference

MLK Student Leadership Conference
Friday, Jan. 13, Noon - 4 p.m.
MSU Union
49 Abbot Road, East Lansing

MSU’s MLK Student Leadership Conference, hosted by the MLK Student Committee, seeks to “develop the leadership potential of current students, provide a platform to elevate student voices and develop opportunities to build community focused on common goals.”

The conference will include a resource fair with tables from campus social justice organizations, lunch, speeches, an “engagement session” where attendees can discuss the topics presented and a networking hour. 

The keynote speaker is Dr. Kelsie Reed, a nationally certified school psychologist from Prince George’s County Public Schools in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, who graduated from Holt High School and attended Grand Valley State University. She is the co-author of the book “Hacking Deficit Thinking,” which is “grounded in the sort of deficit thinking that is sometimes thrust upon different marginalized populations within the school system and the mindset it can create in young people, making them feel that they are somehow inept,” Coles said.

Reed will touch on what college students and professionals can do within their careers to make circumstances better for marginalized youth who may not have the same opportunities, among other topics.