The Imani School is preparing to turn its 2026 Convocation into something bigger than a ceremonial start to the school year. On Tuesday, September 22, students, parents, educators and community supporters will gather at The Community Collective for a morning centered on faith, excellence, technology and possibility — with Google engineering leader Dr. Travis McPhail delivering the keynote message.

McPhail serves as Engineering Director for Google Maps & Immersive Experiences, helping guide the technical vision behind mapping and geospatial tools used around the world. For young scholars who have grown up tapping a phone for directions, exploring neighborhoods digitally or watching technology blur the line between the physical and virtual worlds, his work makes an important point: the future is not some distant destination. It is already in their hands.

Even more powerful is the example standing behind the technology. McPhail is a Rice University alumnus whose academic journey includes undergraduate degrees in computer science and electrical engineering, a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in computer science. Rice honored him with a 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing his leadership in the geospatial field and his efforts to expand opportunity and inclusion in technology.

His résumé also connects innovation with cultural storytelling. Rice has highlighted McPhail’s role in spearheading a 3D project with Google designers and engineers for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture — a reminder that cutting-edge technology can preserve history, deepen understanding and help communities see themselves more vividly in the digital age.

That makes his appearance especially fitting at The Imani School, an institution with deep Houston roots. Founded in 1988 with just 25 young children, Imani has spent nearly four decades building an educational culture around faith, self-confidence and academic achievement. Its 2026 Convocation continues that tradition while asking a distinctly modern question: How do families prepare children not merely to consume tomorrow’s technology, but to create, lead and shape it?

 The Imani School - School Building Image

Parents are being encouraged to attend alongside their children — and that may be one of the day’s most meaningful features. Artificial intelligence, immersive technology, advanced mapping and careers that did not exist a generation ago are rapidly changing the landscape students will inherit. Convocation offers families a chance to hear directly from a leader working inside that transformation.

The morning will also celebrate Imani’s distinctive community spirit. Rev. Alexander Johnson is scheduled to deliver the invocation, Pastor Derrick Smith the benediction, and Texas Southern University’s celebrated Ocean of Soul Marching Band will continue its beloved Convocation tradition with the kind of energy that can make even a 9 a.m. program feel like halftime at homecoming. Houston-based Three Keys Coffee is also supporting the event as a sponsor.

Convocation 2026 begins at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 22, at

The Community Collective, 12401 S. Post Oak Road, Houston, TX 77045.

For The Imani School, the message is clear: excellence has history, innovation has a future, and Houston’s children deserve a seat at both tables.

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The Imani School — Convocation 2026