keynote speakers
Wednesday November 3rd 12:00PM
Founders’ Circle
50 years ago, the first NativityMiguel school opened its doors in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Since then, over 60 NMC modeled schools have opened and continue to thrive.
We’ll hear from some of our school founders about what it was like to start an NMC school, the highlights, the struggles, and what is their hope for the future of NMC schools.
Thursday November 4th 12:00PM
Laura Nichols
"Being Companions on The Journey:
The Educational Trajectories of NativityMiguel Students"
Laura Nichols will discuss her findings from her book, The Journey Before Us: First Generation Pathways from Middle School to College, which examines why although more students are enrolling in college than ever before, many never graduate. By following the educational trajectories and transitions of LatinX students and analyzing national data, Nichols explores the different paths that students take and the factors that make a difference.
An associate professor of Sociology at Santa Clara University, Laura Nichols works to make social science research useful to organizations and policy-makers. Her recent research projects focus on reducing inequality in the education system, the experiences of first-generation college students, and participatory program planning and evaluation.
Friday November 5th 12:00PM
Chris Marte
The Gift of Opportunity
“Opportunity is Nativity’s gift to you. What you do with that opportunity is your gift to Nativity.”
Chris Marte will share how the extended day and year and the lessons learned along the way shaped his worldview and desire to give back to his community. Chris is the Democratic Candidate for City Council in District 1 of New York City. He graduated from the first NativityMiguel school in 2007.
Christopher started his career managing IBM’s retirement funds while paying off his student loans. As he continued to work in finance, he served on the Young Professionals Board of Defy Ventures -- where he guided formerly incarcerated people through the process of starting their own small businesses. Christopher went on to work as a legal researcher at an immigration law firm, before learning about local politics and eventually running for City Council. Since then, he has worked as the New York State Director at Arena, using his experience running for office to train a new generation of candidates and campaign staffers.