Morning
Student can drive themselves or buses will transport students from pick up sports around Central Florida. Start the day with registration, breakfast, and an inspiring opening session featuring poetry, an impactful keynote, and engaging table discussions. Learn about the app, contests and giveaways throughout the day, and our wonderful sponsors!
8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Breakouts
10:50-11:45 AM
Explore one of 12 breakout sessions across campus, tailored to diverse interests.
Lunch & Learn
Connect with fellow attendees over a shared meal. The session features keynote speaker Shira Hoffer, a Harvard senior and founder of the Institute for Multipartisan Education, who will share insights on fostering constructive dialogue. Rollins Student Government President and Founder of Breaking Bread, Joseph Pool, will lead students in the largest ever breaking bread dialogue!
11:55 AM - 1:45 PM
Afternoon
Dive into a second round of breakout sessions, then head to the Community Fair. Our students are compassionate changemakers. They value curiosity, conversation, equity and are passionate about their communities. We are proud to partner with a variety of groups and organizations who understand and live our values. Students will be able to visit booths of many local and national organization to gather information, network and seek volunteer, internship and employment positions. At the fair students can also get a free LinkedIn headshot. Some of the organizations attending include: The Peace and Justice Institute, Interfaith America, Hope Community Center, The Boys and Girls Club, Institute for Multipartisan Education, Unify America, and The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center.
1:45 PM - 4:30 PM
Evening
Celebrate with multicultural food trucks, music, games, giveaways before buses provide transportation to end the day.
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Be Curious: Multipartisan Work
Shira, a senior at Harvard studying Social Studies and Religion, is the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Multipartisan Education. She served on Harvard's Intellectual Vitality Committee, advising on strategies to foster constructive disagreement. A former fellow at the Safra Center for Ethics, she is also a mediator in Massachusetts courts and has expertise in interfaith and political dialogue, with a focus on religion and divisive political issues in schools.
Shira Hoffer
Measuring the Impact of Our Work
Matt is the Executive Director of the Constellation Lab (CoLab), a partnership between the Constellation Fund and FERD focused on reducing poverty through actionable, high-quality research. With extensive experience in working with communities, government, and philanthropy, Matt specializes in evidence-based policy, poverty reduction, youth empowerment, housing justice, cash transfer solutions, women’s economic empowerment, and gender-based violence prevention.
Dr. Matt Morton
Breaking Bread Experience
Joseph, Student Government President and Alfond Scholar at Rollins College, is pursuing a degree in Public Policy and Political Economy with minors in Ethics and Global Health. Founder of Breaking Bread, an organization fostering community through shared meals, he also leads Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society. As a political analyst, he trained AI to detect publication bias and analyze political media. Joseph plans to pursue a law degree and a career in food policy and resource economics.
Joseph Pool
Democracy is not a spectator sport
Maria, the youngest District 2 representative in OCPS history, was elected in 2022 after a student-led grassroots campaign. A UC Berkeley graduate in Political Science with a Public Policy minor, she worked with Berkeley Law’s Election Administration Center and FWD.us, an immigration lobbying group. For the past eight years, Maria has built a career in venture capital, now serving at Ulu Ventures, the largest Latina-led fund in the U.S. In 2018, she became the first Latina named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Venture Capital and Business Insider’s Rising Stars.
Maria Salamanca
The Power of the Spoken Word
Shawn is the Poet Laureate for the City of Orlando, and Shawn, Poet Laureate for the City of Orlando, is an award-winning professional speaker who uses his talent with words to inspire and educate. Founder of “Diverse Word,” Central Florida’s longest-running open mic, he has created content for Disney, Nike, the Orlando Magic, and UCF. Shawn has led educational poetry programs for the Dr. Phillips Center, Bethune-Cookman University, 33rd St. Jail, and OCPS schools. Holding a BA in English Literature, he also serves as Orlando Chapter President for Next Level Speakers Academy.
Shawn Welcome
BREAKOUT SPEAKERS
Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life,
Rollins College
Beloved Community and Thurgood Marshall: The History of the Civil Rights Movement (co-leading with Todd Campbell)
Dorrell Briscoe
University Chaplain
Stetson University
Beloved Community and Thurgood Marshall: The History of the Civil Rights Movement (co-leading with Dorrell Briscoe)
Todd Campbell
Akhila Damarla
Biomedical Sciences Major
University of Central Florida
Ginsburg Fellows: Youth Impacting Communities
Iron Eagle
Chiricahua Apache Medicine Man
Native Peace Practices
Anna Eskamani
State House Representative,
Florida House of Representatives
Becoming a Community Leader
Taylor Hibel
Assistant Director of Bonner Program & Community Partnerships,
Stetson University
The Sweet Spot: Career and Academic Goals to Meet Community Needs
David Hill
Professor and Author
Stetson University
The Language of Politics: What is Liberal, Moderate, Centrist and Conservative Anyway?
Dr. Joel C. Hunter
Pastor of Community Benefit at
Action Church and Chairman of
The Central Florida Pledge
Faith and Politics: Past, Present and Future
Peace & Justice Institute
peacejusticeinstitute.org
BREAKOUT 1: Principles of How
We Treat Each Other
BREAKOUT 2: Exercise Your Empathy
BREAKOUT 3: ACEs and Resilience
Jamie Merrill
President and CEO Boys & Girls Clubs
of Central Florida
Boys and Girls Clubs
Arielle Mizrahi
Partnerships Manager
Unify America
Unify America: Listening and Learning from Different Views
Tiffany Nick
Assistant United States Attorney
Department of Justice
Community Response to Hate Speech, Hate Crimes and Discrimination
Stephen Poynor
Director of Education
Holocaust Memorial Resource &
Education Center of Florida
Being an Upstander: Standing Up to Antisemitism and Hate
Ginsburg Scholars
Ginsburg Institute,
Nemours Children’s Health
Health Equity: Nemours Children's Health
COMMUNITY FAIR
Our students are compassionate changemakers. They value curiosity, conversation, equity and are passionate about their communities. We are proud to partner with a variety of groups and organizations who understand and live our values. Students will be able to get a free LinkedIn headshot and visit booths of many local and national organization to gather information, network and seek volunteer, internship and employment positions.