2026 Lunch and Keynote Address

Make a Joyful Noise

In this keynote, attendees will be empowered to continue standing up for students whose identities and experiences make California’s community colleges extraordinarily diverse. Shrinking budgets, canceled federal grants, disruptive policy changes, politicized attacks on DEI, artificial intelligence, and worsening student food and housing insecurity threaten equitable outcomes on campuses across the nation. Nevertheless, attendees will be encouraged to “make a joyful noise” by collectively advocating for higher education and defending practices that improve students’ lives and experiences. Even amid the difficulty, divisiveness, and intensity of this political moment, attendees will be encouraged to reclaim joy and find renewed purpose in student success work.