2022 ODMA Parent Conference Program

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………… 2

Conference Agenda ………………………………………………………………… 3

Welcome Letter ….………………………………………………………………….. 4

College Readiness 101 Session Speaker Bio ………………………………………….….. 5

Middle & High School Admissions Speaker Bio …………………………………………... 6

Financial Aid Presentation Speaker Bio …………………………………………………... 7

Keynote Speaker Bio ……...………………………………………………………... 8

The Heart of Your Application Writing Workshop Speaker Bio ……………………………… 9

Guide to Letters of Recommendation Speaker Bio …………………………………………... 10

Interview Prep (Mock Interviews) Speaker Bio ………………………………………………. 11

David Huang Scholarship Information …………………………………………………….. 12

College Resources ……………………………………………………………………… 13

Scholarship Guide ……………………………………………………………………… 14

Scientific Enrichment Month ………………………………………………………………. 15

Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………….……. 16

Conference Agenda

Saturday, May 14, 2022

10:00 am – 10:10 am Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:10 am – 10:55 am Admissions Break Out Sessions

11:00 am – 11:45 am  College Readiness 101
11:45 am – 12:00 pm  Middle & High School Admissions
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm
12:30pm – 1:15pm Financial Aid Presentation
Break
1:15 pm – 1:30 pm Keynote Speaker
Resources Break Out Sessions

 The Heart of your Application: Writing Workshop
 Guide to Letters of Recommendation
 Interview Prep (Mock Interviews)

Closing Remarks & Adjournment

May 14, 2022

Dear Conference Attendee:

On behalf of the Office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs (ODMA)at Columbia University Vagelos College
of Physicians & Surgeons, it is a pleasure to welcome you to the 2022 ODMA Conference. This virtual
conference provides a platform for students and parents to learn more about high school & college
admissions, financial aid, financial literacy, internships, student support resources, and academic/career
development resources. Conference presentations will also provide resources that are pertinent to the
personal, academic, and professional development processes.

The ODMA strives to meet the needs of underserved communities and to nurture the next generation of
future leaders. You are fully encouraged to participate in the conference sessions designed to equip you with
valuable tools and best practices. We hope that you take full advantage of this opportunity to build
relationships and glean information that will be useful to you as you forge ahead on your journey of academic
excellence and professional success.

The conference planning committee has worked diligently to organize a line-up that we hope will be
stimulating, informative, and well worth your while. We are excited to have you join us and we thank you for
attending the 2022 ODMA Virtual Conference!

Best wishes,
Conference Planning Committee
2022 ODMA Conference
Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Heather M. Butts, JD, MPH, MA

Lecturer, Columbia University;
Assistant Professor Long Island University
Co-founder or H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths, Inc

___________________________________ SPEAKER BIO__________________________________
Heather M. Butts received her B.A. from Princeton University. She was a history major, concentrating in
American and African-American Studies. She received her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law,
her Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University and her Master’s in Education from Columbia
University’s Teachers College.
Professor Butts is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Healthcare and Public Administration and
Public Health Law and Bioethics at LIU Post. She is also the Director of the LIU Post Honors College.
In addition, has held appointments as an Adjunct Professor in Health Law and Bioethics at St. John’s
School of Law and Columbia University School of Public Health.
Prior to her teaching, she served as a regulatory specialist at Columbia University’s Medical Center
Institutional Review Board (IRB). Her responsibilities included training and educational efforts of the
Columbia University research community. Before that professional experience, she functioned as a Senior
Associate at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP in New York City where she performed compliance risk
assessments on projects involving reviews of faculty group practices, policies and procedures.
Professor Butts is the co-founder or H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths, Inc. a nonprofit organization which focuses
on college readiness and preparation. Her organization partners with 53 programs each year to help more
than 4,000 students achieve their dream of going to college. During COVID-19, her organization has
worked on dozens of projects to help the community including: turning little free libraries into food
pantries; getting resources to under priviliged families; organzing several community gardening programs to
get fresh produce to those in need.
Her publications include: Alexander Thomas Augusta: Physician, Teacher and Human Rights Activist for
the Journal of the National Medical Association, Personality and Policy Perception: What Responses
are Seen as Appropriate for COVID-19, Federal Agencies Continue Focus on Clinical Trial Oversight
(co-author) , Housing Bias and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder(co-author) and two books including African
American Medicine in Washington, D.C.: Healing the Capital During the Civil War Era and Healing Civil War
Veterans in New York and Washington, D.C.

Chayra Marrero

Program Assistant, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

___________________________________ SPEAKER BIO__________________________________

Chayra Marrero is a native New Yorker, born and raised in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan. She
graduated with her bachelor's degree from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and began her journey in
higher education by joining AmeriCorp after graduating. Driven by her passion to help others in obtaining
access to educational resources, she continued her journey at different institutions including The Cornelia
Connelly Center, CUNY, Per Scholas, and Columbia School of Professional Studies. Chayra is excited to
join Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons as a part of the office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
to continue her goals of directly helping the community.

David Dey, MA

Associate Director of Financial Aid
Barnard College

___________________________________ SPEAKER BIO__________________________________
David Dey is an Associate Director of Financial Aid at Barnard College. He started in the financial aid field
as a graduate student at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College before working full time at Columbia's
undergraduate campus for three years. After leaving Teacher’s College, David has spent the past year at
Barnard where he oversees the entire loan process and assists with the Higher Education Opportunity
Program, outside of his regular duties with Barnard families. David has a passion for explaining the
complicated financial aid process to students and parents.

Shantae Shand

Senior at Lafayette College
Co-Founder of Young and Thriving

Productivity & College Youtuber

______________________________KEY NOTE SPEAKER BIO_____________________________
Shantae Shand is a graduating senior at Lafayette College pursuing a double degree in Engineering Studies
and Economics with a concentration in Finance. She is also the co-founder of Young and Thriving, a
company dedicated to helping college students manage their time, prioritize their health, and create good
financial habits all while excelling in the classroom. Their flagship product is The College Boss Planner
which has helped hundreds of students so far. In her spare time, she creates content on TikTok, Instagram
and YouTube focused on productivity, academic success, and life as an international student from Jamaica.
After graduation, she will be moving to Los Angeles to start her career as a Real Estate Private Equity
Analyst.

Deya Luna

Program Coordinator, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

___________________________________ SPEAKER BIO__________________________________
Deya Luna currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the Office of Diversity and Multicultural
Affairs (ODMA) at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S). Deya
coordinates the Gerald E. Thomson Undergraduate Pre-medical Program, a free pre-med mentorship
program for underrepresented and/or first-generation undergraduate students attending Columbia and
CUNY.

Deya was born and raised in rural California and studied linguistics at Columbia. She is currently a Master of
Fine Arts Candidate, studying Fiction & Literary Translation at Columbia University School of the Arts. Her
professional experience sits at the intersection of higher education, healthcare, and the non-profit sector and
she is passionate about language, literature, and the power of the art.

Samantha McLaughlin, MA

Program Director, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

___________________________________ SPEAKER BIO__________________________________
Samantha McLaughlin serves as Director for the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at
Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S). In this role, she is responsible
for managing recruitment and student support initiatives for underrepresented minority medical students.
She also directs and sponsors programming for multicultural and affinity student groups at VP&S.
Concurrently, she leads a portfolio of projects that supports the college’s on-going commitment to
diversifying the healthcare workforce by providing the resources and training necessary to advance
promising students from the primary school level onward. Ms. McLaughlin directly oversees the
implementation of project activities for five pipeline programs, including the Summer Health Professions
Education Program and the NERA MedPrep HCOP Academy.

Ms. McLaughlin holds Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration and a
Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Her professional training and current work addresses student
advisement and counseling/mentorship, grant writing and reporting, project coordination and execution,
budget management, team operation, personnel training, cross-departmental collaboration, and vendor
relations.

Katherine Rojas

Program Coordinator, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

___________________________________ SPEAKER BIO__________________________________
Katherine Rojas currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the Office of Diversity and Multicultural
Affairs (ODMA) at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S).
Katherine coordinates the State Pre-College Enrichment Program, a free high school and college
preparatory program for middle and high school students across NYC, who are passionate about pursuing a
career in Medicine and/or STEM.
Katherine is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Washington Height. She currently holds a Bachelor’s
Degree from Cornell University in Developmental Sociology, Education and Latinx Studies. Her
professional experience and current work involve student advising, counseling, advocacy, the college
application process, resume building, and connecting students with opportunities to not only secure
research experience, but also travel abroad, earn scholarships, and gain admissions into opportunity
programs. Katherine over the years has helped over 175 students matriculate into colleges & universities
throughout the US and gain thousands in scholarships.

DAVID TA-KENG HUANG MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

David Ta-Keng Huang was only 24 years old when he passed
away. Though, he lived more in those years than most have been
able to live in a lifetime. David excelled in all aspects of life. While
demonstrating a high level of academic achievement, he had a keen
interest in athletics, music, and literature. He was the very definition
of a well-rounded individual and despite his success, David
consistently gave back to the community in which he lived. With
this in mind, we are proud to offer the David Ta-Keng Huang
Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $1,500 to a deserving
student.
We, the members of the David Huang Scholarship Committee,
look forward to reviewing your nominations/applications. It is our hope that the applicants will make us
think, even if only for a moment, of David. Thank you and best wishes.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
• High School Senior (graduating class of 2022)
• Hispanic (preference given to students residing in the Washington Heights Community)
• Plans to enroll in a four-year or community college
• Commitment to community service
• Scholastic Achievement (“B” Average)

Application Instructions
1. Please complete the Scholarship Application Form (including all essays and required

attachments).
2. Please have your guidance counselor submit the Guidance Counselor Nomination Form
3. Please have two (2) recommenders submit a letter of recommendation through the

Recommendation Form.
Note to applicants: You must submit two letters of recommendation to be considered for the David Huang
Memorial Scholarship. Please choose two people who know you well. The first recommender should be a
teacher. The second recommender should be someone who is familiar with your community service work,
such as a volunteer supervisor, clergy member, or representative from a community agency. Letters should
not be written by family members.
All application components are due by the end of the day on June 10th, 2022.

COLLEGE RESOURCES

SCHOLARSHIP GUIDE

Conference Participants:

In helping to prepare your scholar for college we have compiled a guide on how to search for scholarships.
“Scholarships in essence are free money! They may ask for different things ranging from letters of
recommendations, transcript of your grades, to multiple essays. Some scholarships not all may require an
interview. However all scholarships are unique and may or may not follow these particular aspects. Some
may be based on race, ethnicity, being tall, etc. There are scholarships out there for everything.”

Tips:
1. Start researching early. The fall and winter are the two seasons when the highest amount of
scholarships are available.
2. Organize. Compile all the scholarships that you qualify for and begin breaking each scholarships
down by what materials they need. Does the scholarship require a high school transcript? letters of
recommendations? Are there multiple essays? Get this sorted out so you know where to designate
your time to.
3. Set Deadlines. Make a chart or a calendar outlining all of the due dates for the scholarships so you
can be kept accountable. Also make deadlines to prioritize which scholarship deadline is
approaching, to start beginning your application.
4. Create a Resume. Creating a resume that outlines your high school career is very helpful as it helps
make the scholarship process much easier. Doing this, allows you when doing scholarships that ask
about your extra-circular activities, it’s simply a matter of copying and pasting the information or
sometimes scholarships may ask for resume, where in that case you can just attach a copy. Also
when asking for recommendations, a resume is valuable as it helps teachers write not only about the
things you did within the classroom but also tie things you have done outside the classroom.
Therefore, include sports/clubs you participated in, summer programs, volunteering, employment,
internships, honors, awards, publications, etc.

Below are a couple of websites with various scholarships:

Fastweb.com Collegeexpress.com Hsf.net
CollegeProwler.com Nextstepu.com Finaid.org
Connections101.com
Niche.com Collegeweeklive.com FAFSA.ED.GOV
Collegegreenlight.com Scholarships.com Collegenet.com
Collegenet.com Petersons.com
Cappex.com Collegeboard.com Free-4u.com
Zinch.com Uncf.org
Scholarshipexperts.com

SCIENTIFIC ENRICHMENT MONTH

July 5th- 28th, 2022

• Open to High School and College students; middle school and post- back students are also welcome
• Tuesdays & Thursdays, from 4:00-5:30pm; Wednesday 4:00-6:00pm
• Topics will include:

o An introduction to cancer research with panel discussions feature professors and
professionals in the field

o Environmental equity in your community
o Professional development: Communication, personal statements and college admissions
o Hands-on, student-led activities and more!
Click here to register for Scientific Enrichment Month!
Participants who complete the program will receive a certificate of completion. If you have any questions,
please contact Ivorie Farley-Cook at [email protected].

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ODMA Parent Conference. We hope that the resources provided will help alleviate your experience in
supporting your students as they continue their academic journey.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to recognize Columbia University Irving Medical Center and all
featured guests for their support in ensuring the seamless execution of the 2022 conference.
Special thanks to all conference volunteers and presenters for their collaboration.

2022 ODMA CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE

HILDA HUTCHERSON, MD, MS
Senior Associate Dean, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs

Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

SAMANTHA MCLAUGHLIN, MA
Director, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

KATHERINE ROJAS
Program Coordinator, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs

Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

CHAYRA MARRERO
Program Assistant, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons