July 11, 2021
11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

The astonishing journey from migrant farm worker to renowned surgeon, scientist, innovator and philanthropist is full of stories. Dr. Q will share the stories that demonstrate the importance of building bridges and the ways bridges sustain and enhance our lives. His journey is a reminder that each student is full of potential, and it is our joint responsibility to build bridges to them so students have futures worth hoping for. Whether it is bridging resources through his global missions or bridging ideas in the lab using STEM cells to find a cure for cancer, Dr. Q uses bridges to find cures and give hope.

Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa – just call him Dr. Q – was an impoverished teenager living in a rural Mexican village before he hopped an 18-foot fence into California and found his way through hope, hard work and perseverance into the loftiest heights of the American Dream. The eldest of five children, he toiled by day as an undocumented migrant worker in the tomato fields and rail yards of central California. On his days off, he attended biology classes at the San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. Then he became a gifted student at Berkeley before transferring to Harvard, where he received his medical degree and became a naturalized U.S. citizen, all before the age of 30. After completing his residency at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Q became a professor of neurosurgery and oncology, neuroscience and cellular and molecular medicine at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr. Q is widely regarded as one of the world's finest surgeons and scientists, operating on some 250 brain tumors every year and leading cutting-edge federally funded research to cure brain cancer.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021
11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Behind the Mask
With school buildings, mentoring programs and extracurricular activities temporarily shut down, many families gained a better understanding of the work school counselors do on a daily basis to help students manage difficult emotions and behaviors. Compounding students’ mental health issues during this time of isolation were circumstances that put students at risk of abuse, neglect and food insecurity.

Kristen Geez is a digital content creator, training consultant, TEDx speaker, author and founder of Advising Generation Z, a nonprofit organization focused on helping students and young adults become the best version of themselves. She is the red carpet reporter for Women That Soar, a Dallas-based media and content development company.