HOUSTON – (May 11, 2017) – Rice University's Athletics Department and Rice faculty, students and staff will host 600 students from IDEA Public Schools’ charter schools May 12 for the fifth annual Student Leadership Conference from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. The schools are based in the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The conference will culminate with students attending the Rice-Middle Tennessee State University baseball game in the evening.

Students from IDEA Public Schools are predominantly 85 percent Hispanic and first-generation students who would like to attend college in the future.

During the first part of the day, students will hear from various speakers from different walks of life and learn about college opportunities. Students will then attend breakout sessions hosted by Rice University faculty, staff and students.

The conference is open to the news media. The full agenda is as follows:

1-1:30 p.m.: Students arrive and register at Reckling Park.

1:35-1:40 p.m.: Welcome from Tanner Gardner, senior associate athletics director.

1:40-1:55 p.m.: Speaker 1: Michael Kidd, current Rice student from the Rio Grande

Valley.

2-2:15 p.m.: Speaker 2: Jaime Rodriguez, Tapia Center.

2:20-2:35 p.m.: Speaker 3: Paul Negrete, senior assistant director, Office of Financial Aid

at Rice.

2:35-3 p.m.: Students head to Rice classrooms.

From 3 to 5:50 p.m., students will break out into groups and spend 15 minutes at each of the following stations before heading back to Reckling Park for the baseball game, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

Station 1: Creating a self-brand -- Dell Butcher Hall, Room 180.

Rick Schell, senior lecturer of management, Jones Graduate School of Business.

Station 2: How to set your goals -- Keith-Wiess Geological Building, Room 100.

Tom Stallings, professor in the practice of sport management.

Station 3: Social media awareness -- Herman Brown Hall, Room 227.

Lizzie Haldane, director of branding, Rice Athletics.

Station 4: STEM Activity -- Ryon Engineering Lab, Room 201.

Carrie Obenland Owens and Carolina Avendano, Rice Office of STEM Engagement.

Station 5: Student life at Rice University -- Mechanical Engineering Building, Room 128.

Rice student Michael Kidd.

Station 6: Optical science and optical engineering activity -- Keck Hall, Room 100.

Ben Clark and Professor Guru Naik, Rice University Optical Society of America.

Station 7: Tour of Fondren Library and Academic Quad.

Station 8: 15-minute break in Rice Memorial Center.