Olympic Gold Medalist to Speak in Santa Barbara

Educators will converge on Santa Barbara next month to learn how to better prepare their students for college and their career.

The Get Focused…Stay Focused! Conference will take place on the campus of Santa Barbara City College on Jan. 3-4 and will be attended by both secondary and post-secondary educators. Special appearances from state education officials and an Olympic gold medalist will be featured at the conference.

The conference revolves around the Get Focused…Stay Focused! program, which is used at hundreds of high schools and colleges throughout the U.S. to help students discover a career that fits into their life goals and interests.

Some of the keynote speakers at the conference include members of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the California Department of Education will speak about statewide education initiatives.

Dain Blanton, a beach volleyball player who won the gold medal in Beach Volleyball during the 2000 Olympic Games, will speak to the educators during the second day at the conference. Currently a motivational speaker who focuses on the importance of education, Blanton is also the broadcast analyst for NCAA women’s college volleyball for ESPN.

All of the speakers will showcase the importance of collaboration between secondary and post-secondary schools in cultivating successful students, said Dr. Monica Carmo, Senior Educational Consultant for Academic Innovations, a curriculum partner for Get Focused…Stay Focused!

The Get Focused…Stay Focused! program starts with ninth graders who complete a comprehensive course choose a career that matches their goals and make a 10-year education plan. Students in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades expand their career options and learn about applying to a college that will help them make their goals a reality. 

“The phrase I hear the most after explaining the Get Focused…Stay Focused! program to anyone is ‘I wish I would have had that opportunity when I was a young student in high school,’” Carmo said. “And my response is, ‘Well, me too.’ And this is why I have made it my mission to bring this life-changing course and program to as many schools in California as possible.”

The program “fosters the intrinsic motivation to keep students on target to reaching their goals even when times get tough and challenges arise,” Carmo said.

The Get Focused…Stay Focused! program is unique because it flips the paradigm in making decisions for college. Instead of choosing a college before landing on a major and career, the program encourages students to make their career goals first in high school before choosing the major and then a college. That way, students can take advantage of their time in college from day one to develop the skills necessary to be competitive in the workforce.

More information about the Get Focused…Stay Focused! program can be found online.

Get Focused…Stay Focused! Conference details

•   Where: Garvin Theater at Santa Barbara City College

•   When: Jan. 3-4, 2019

•   Cost is $329 per person, which includes both days of quality professional development, lunches and materials.

•   Registration for the conference can be completed online.