Concurrent Sessions

In this interactive activity, participants will explore the Leadership Compass, a model inspired by Native American practice, the Medicine Wheel, to identify their personal leadership style. Through a self-assessment and guided activity, students will gain insight into their unique strengths and learn how to apply them effectively in their current roles, helping them develop their leadership potential for success both on campus and in their future careers.

Emily Gray 
First Gen Initiatives

What does your office say about you? This session dives into the subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages sent by furniture, dress, and décor in student success spaces. From the imposing power of a massive desk to the accessibility of a shared table, we’ll explore how these choices influence student interactions, reinforce (or disrupt) power dynamics, and impact outcomes. Join us for a lively discussion on rethinking environments to create spaces that empower and engage students.

Jason O'Brien
Academic Engagement

Hosting and marketing an event on campus... am I being accessible?

Sophia Doran
Disability Services

How can we help college students get and stay motivated? Procrastination and motivation are some major struggles college students are facing today. Goal setting is a tool that can help them identify their purpose. When goals are clear, the path to achieving them is easier. When we are equipped to guide students through the goal setting process, they can identify the steps themselves. Through a review of various goal setting frameworks and an interactive practice and discussion, you will leave with tools to help students help themselves. 

Sofia Munoz
Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC)

To actualize student success and professional development, we must understand how to do so with in the context of a multicultural environment. We will use Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed as a theoretical framework for discussing how education settings can be analyzed and changed toward the goal of ‘humanism’ and ‘liberation.’ We must be aware of our social and political condition, including the impacts of laws and policies such as SB17, Title IX, IDEA, and EAP within our institutions. 

Austen Guzman
University Writing Center

Presenter TBD

Tabitha N. Walker
Disability Services

Marisa Montelongo & Kelsey Blanton
University Health Services

This session highlights how student employment serves as a waypoint in the college experience by preparing students to be career ready and to lead a successful internship search and experience. By connecting employment opportunities on campus to internship pathways, attendees will learn practical strategies to guide them in navigating their unique career journeys with confidence and purpose.

Amanda Ritter & Remigio Casanova
Career Services

Thiago Rocha Leite is a Generation 1.5, former International Student and University Writing Center consultant. He will discuss the general roadblocks, contexts and difficulties International students can face in seeking assistance from university tutoring services, drawing on his own experiences and successes. He will also discuss how tutors can use these factors to evaluate and approach the tutoring session to best assist International students, ensuring their student support and success. 

Thiago Rocha Leite
University Writing Center

Undergraduate student workers play a vital role in fostering a welcoming and supportive environment for transfer students. This program aims to equip student workers with the knowledge and skills needed to assist transfer students in navigating the various aspects of university life. You will learn about the Transfer Center and other key campus resources, as well as practical strategies for connecting transfer students to relevant resources and helping create an inclusive campus culture. 

Alexis Greene
Transfer Center

What is student success and what are barriers that prevent us from achieving it? In exploring the work of renowned philosophers of education, this session presents student success as a participatory, transformative process that is becoming increasingly threatened in our modern age of algorithms. This session will encourage deep thinking about how we can practically ward off the “enemies” and ally with the “friends” of student success in our academic and personal lives. 

Aidan Garza
Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC)

Co-curricular and student employment activities provide students with potentially transformative and career-affirming skill-building and personal growth opportunities. Yet, students often don't reflect on their learning and move from one activity to another. The presenter will share approaches that allow student engagement in co-curricular and student employment activities to be meaningfully measured and documented, enabling students to create a more comprehensive and holistic personal narrative.

Michael Preston
Division of Student Success

Does your mind wander when you are studying or taking a test? Have you ever found yourself reading the same paragraph over and over? Mindfulness skills can help and offer your brain a break. Evidence shows a few minutes of mindfulness practices can help your brain connect with the present moment which is linked with student success and wellness. Join faculty and staff from TXST NOWCATS team for a skills-based learning opportunity on how applying simple mindfulness strategies can improve your GPA, build resiliency skills, and more!

Jennifer S. Smith & Claude Bonazzo-Romaguera
Counseling Center & Department of Sociology

Go beyond just doing a “cut and paste” of your resume profile to better brand and showcase yourself as a young professional and discover some quick tip strategies to use LinkedIn for career exploration, networking, and job and internship searching.

Ross Wood
Career Services

This workshop highlights practical strategies for staff to enhance the overall success of first-gen college students. Facilitators will highlight best practices in continuing to pioneer quality programs and services for TXST's first gen students. 

Dylan Pique
First Gen Initiatives

Nancy Wilson & Erik Leake
University Writing Center

Join us to explore data collected from an Autism Support Pilot Program conducted at Texas State University. As higher education professionals, we know that navigating a college campus can be challenging for many individuals. Students with autism experience additional barriers in their college experience. We invite you to learn how research led to the development of a pilot program and to hear our success stories and student perspectives.

Carrie Klingsporn
Disability Services

Want to learn practical strategies to elevate your presentation skills? This session will introduce you to the Participation Continuum, a powerful tool designed to help you energize and engage your audience. By exploring the different levels of participation, you will learn how to maintain attention, foster collaboration, and deliver an effective learning experience to your audience. 

Lee Roche
Student Success & Academic Services

In this session, you will identify your key professional skills and learn how to effectively communicate them to potential employers. By reflecting on your technical and transferable skills, you will develop the ability to articulate your strengths clearly in both written and verbal formats. This workshop will help you prepare for internships, job searches, and future career opportunities by equipping you with the tools to confidently present your skills to employers.

Rachel Nemets
Generacion STEM

This session explores waypoints with which to chart the postsecondary journeys of neurodiverse students and paraprofessionals. It includes methods for identifying neurodivergence in oneself and in others while fostering an asset-based vision of neurodiversity. We will engage in activities that show participants how sensory elements affect their own and others learning and to actively model how to advocate for themselves and others in and out of higher education.

Rene' LeBlanc
Department of English

Can talking about your favorite taco joint actually help students succeed? This session explores how meaningful, agendaless conversations build trust and support student persistence. Drawing from Motivational Interviewing and Appreciative Inquiry, we'll highlight the power of curiosity, active listening, and creating genuine human connections. Expect lighthearted laughs as we also tackle challenges—quantifying “just talking,” the pressure for artifacts, and shifting focus from retention to persistence. Join us for a fun, impactful conversation about conversations!

Jason O'Brien
Academic Engagement

First-generation college students (FGCS) often face unique challenges in navigating the demands of higher education, resulting in disparities in retention and graduation rates. This session focuses on teaching effective learning strategies and essential academic skills to empower FGCS as strategic learners. Grounded in Weinstein's Model of Strategic Learning, the presentation will provide actionable insights into fostering critical thinking, enhancing motivation, and developing self-regulation. By equipping students with these foundational skills, educators and mentors can bolster FGCS’s resilience, self-efficacy, and capacity to thrive in both academic and professional environments. Attendees will leave with practical tools and methods to support student success through intentional learning strategy instruction.

Camrie Piper
University Writing Center

Lindley Workman Alyea
Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC)

Presenter TBD