Stony Brook, NY, March 24, 2023 – Stony Brook University student Amelia Chicas, a sophomore economics major, has been selected to facilitate the opening plenary at MENTOR New York’s 20th annual Mentoring Matters Conference on Friday, March 31. As moderator, Chicas will interview Keynote Speaker Reggie Love, bestselling author and former personal aide to Barack Obama.
“I really look forward to picking Reggie’s brain,” Chicas said. “In his autobiography, he talked a lot about the lack of diversity he saw in politics, so I definitely want to delve into his experience in Washington and how he helped foster inclusion within the political sphere.”
The virtual conference is dedicated to celebrating advancements, amplifying voices and exploring current issues in the field of mentoring and youth development. It will comprise both morning and afternoon sessions featuring various discussion panels, practice-based workshops and breakout sessions – all aimed at supporting young people and the mentors who serve them.
“We wanted a young person to interview our keynote speaker, and my mind immediately went to Amelia,” said Brenda Jimenez, CEO of MENTOR New York. “She is an inspiring, committed young leader and skilled facilitator who knows first-hand the positive impact mentoring relationships can have in young people’s daily lives. I am thrilled that she accepted this opportunity.”
Chicas is a first generation American and native Long Islander with Dominican and Salvadorian heritage, and she aspires to become a financial analyst and business owner. She first connected with MENTOR New York last summer while interning as a finance associate at ACRES Capital Management, a Long Island real estate company.
In November, she collaborated with MENTOR New York to organize and facilitate a panel discussion for Stony Brook’s Delta Sigma Pi chapter, for which she served as chair of diversity, equity and inclusion. Also conducted virtually, this event focused on promoting equality in business.
“A key takeaway from my first moderating experience was the value of natural conversation – it wasn’t just an interview where I was shooting out questions,” Chicas said. “So for my discussion with Reggie, I really want to enhance that even more and give people an engaging conversation that also answers all the questions they may have.”
Amelia Chicas resides in Brentwood, New York..
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About Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University — New York’s flagship university and No. 1 public university — is going far beyond the expectations of today’s public universities. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With more than 24,000 students, more than 2,800 faculty members, more than 200,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world’s biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked among the top 35 public universities by Forbes and one of the top 80 universities in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook’s membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 65 research institutions in North America. The university’s distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize and the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy — one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $7.23 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/) and Twitter(@stonybrooku)
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