Courageous Conversations 11.17

On November 17, 2021 we held our second Courageous Conversations series of the school year. We had four simultaneous conversations focusing on these themes: Character, College, Career, and Culture.

Each conversation was led by students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, or other friends of Central Catholic. For this series, we heard from our community on these topics:

• Where's the Line? Cultural Appreciation and Cultural Appropriation
• The Death and Renewal of Indigenous Language 
• Life in the Pac 12 South...The Conference of Champions
• Be Your Own Boss

We were grateful to welcome back so many alumni, both in-person and virtually, to speak at these conversations, and are inspired by the courage from our faculty, staff, and students to speak on these topics.

Here are recaps of the conversations and the full list of presenters.

	Where's the Line? Cultural Appreciation and Cultural Appropriation Character Conversation Presenters: APIC and MESU, Theresa Nguyen, Jasmine Bush More recently and frequently than ever, Asian culture has become a trend in the media from K-Pop to makeup, fashion, and film/television. As aspects of asian culture enter mainstream pop culture, we ask ourselves: where is the line between appreciation and appropriation? How do we appreciate different cultures without harming others? This conversation was a dialogue with Asian/Pacific Islander Club and Multi-Ethnic Student Union about culture appropriation and cultural appreciation.
	Life in the Pac 12 South...The Conference of Champions College Conversation Presenters: David Blue and a Panel of Young Alumni from UCLA, USC, the University of Arizona, and the University of Colorado We welcomed back our recent alumni to share their experiences directly from four major colleges from the sunny portion of the Pac 12 Conference of Champions. They discussed their majors, campus life, and how Central Catholic prepared them for college and beyond.
	Be Your Own Boss  Career Conversation Presenters: Muriel Stanton '87, Adeline Farms; Jimmy Hickey '09, Findlay Hats; David Kreifels '96, Your Neighborhood Restaurant Group; Kamelah Adams, Mimi's Fresh Tees For this insightful conversation, we heard from four members in our community who are entrepreneurs, business leaders, and risk takers. They shared about their businesses and their career journeys, as well as provided tips for future entrepreneurs.
	The Death and Renewal of Indigenous Language Culture Conversation Presenters: Indigenous Student Union, Matt Horne, and Gonzalo Flores This conversation explored the threatened extinction of indigenous languages throughout North America. Apache medicine man Gonzalo Flores shared his personal experiences and insight, and members of ISU focused on some of the systemic causes over the last 500 years, and the steps being taken to preserve this critical piece of indigenous identity and culture.