The El Camino College community recently gathered via Zoom to start the new semester with Spring 2021 Professional Development Day. The theme, "Where Do We Go from Here? Addressing Racism at El Camino College," focused on the college's work in pursuit of equality and racial justice. Following opening remarks from President Maloney, participants heard from keynote speaker, Dr. Daniel G. Solorzano, a professor of social science and comparative education at UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Dr. Solorzano discussed racial micro-affirmations as a way to respond to racial micro-aggressions inside and outside of educational institutions. He concluded his presentation with a Q&A session with questions generated by a campuswide survey distributed earlier this month. This was a great opportunity to engage in a dialogue about how to improve El Camino's learning environment to maximize engagement, learning, and discovery for our increasingly diverse community.
Professional Development Day participants also joined breakout sessions that covered topics such as campus resources for students with health, safety, and behavioral concerns; military ideals that transcend racism; ECC tutoring during COVID-19; navigating the online experience equitably; and more. Thank you to the planning team that organized and coordinated this informative Professional Development Day program!