Kinecta Hosted its Sixth Annual Defying the Odds Event to Empower Students
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA (February 29, 2024) – Kinecta Federal Credit Union proudly hosted its sixth annual Defying the Odds Black History Month event on Thursday, February 22, 2024. African American students from Centinela Valley Union High School District, Long Beach Unified School District, El Segundo High School, Environmental Charter High School and Verbum Dei High School participated in the event and heard directly from African American business professionals sharing stories about overcoming adversity to achieve professional success.
“Symposiums like Defying the Odds are as important as ever,” said Latrice McGlothin, Executive Director, Kinecta Community Foundation, and event co-creator. “Statistics show that black male students lag behind in education and having mentors who have walked this same path help the next generation navigate is invaluable in changing this trajectory.”
The annual event hosted twelve mentors including small business leaders, professionals in corporate America, law enforcement, and education leaders who shared the message that making intentional choices to include a college education or professional trade are great options towards future success.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Brenda Thames, President/CEO of El Camino College and Cecil W. Rhambo Jr., Chief of LAX World Airport Police, who shared personal stories from their journey. Defying the Odds was moderated by Kinecta’s Vice President, Strategic Alliances, Marquis Boochee.
The event topics included skills for thriving in the workplace, interacting with law enforcement, the business of entertainment, how to gain wealth, investing, goal setting and resiliency. Students had the opportunity to hear from professionals, ask questions and share their own stories and goals. They also learned about financial empowerment, business etiquette, careers in professional trades, how to create a LinkedIn profile and write an elevator speech.
Defying the Odds concluded with an interactive activity where each student crafted their own elevator pitch and shared their speech with the group showcasing one of the skills they practiced.
During 2023, Kinecta, its subsidiaries and employees donated more than $1.2 million to charitable causes, volunteered over 7,000 hours and participated in over 200 community events. To learn more about Kinecta's community outreach programs and activities, visit kinecta.org/community.
“Symposiums like Defying the Odds are as important as ever,” said Latrice McGlothin, Executive Director, Kinecta Community Foundation, and event co-creator. “Statistics show that black male students lag behind in education and having mentors who have walked this same path help the next generation navigate is invaluable in changing this trajectory.”
The annual event hosted twelve mentors including small business leaders, professionals in corporate America, law enforcement, and education leaders who shared the message that making intentional choices to include a college education or professional trade are great options towards future success.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Brenda Thames, President/CEO of El Camino College and Cecil W. Rhambo Jr., Chief of LAX World Airport Police, who shared personal stories from their journey. Defying the Odds was moderated by Kinecta’s Vice President, Strategic Alliances, Marquis Boochee.
The event topics included skills for thriving in the workplace, interacting with law enforcement, the business of entertainment, how to gain wealth, investing, goal setting and resiliency. Students had the opportunity to hear from professionals, ask questions and share their own stories and goals. They also learned about financial empowerment, business etiquette, careers in professional trades, how to create a LinkedIn profile and write an elevator speech.
Defying the Odds concluded with an interactive activity where each student crafted their own elevator pitch and shared their speech with the group showcasing one of the skills they practiced.
During 2023, Kinecta, its subsidiaries and employees donated more than $1.2 million to charitable causes, volunteered over 7,000 hours and participated in over 200 community events. To learn more about Kinecta's community outreach programs and activities, visit kinecta.org/community.