SESSION TYPE: Plenary SESSION TITLE: Queen Latifah in Conversation with Youth Voices STRAND: Whole School Issues DAY: Saturday TIME: 4:00 - 5:15pm LOCATION: Chase Center Grand Ballroom, 3rd floor

Star of stage, screen and sound, as well as business, Queen Latifah brings her special talent and grace to our closing plenary session. The Celebration has never before brought the voices of young people to the main stage, but then we've never had anyone as suited to the task as Queen Latifah. Join us for this special session as she conducts a conversation with a group of outstanding urban high school students, providing them the opportunity to share with us their perspectives on school, community, peers, family, and future -- a truly inspiring way to end the 5th Celebration of Teaching & Learning.

BIOGRAPHY


Queen Latifah is a musician; television and film actress, a label president, an author and entrepreneur. She has blossomed into a one-woman entertainment conglomerate, heralded by the press and the industry as a force to be reckoned with.

The first hip hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award nomination for her portrayal as Mama Morton in Miramax’s Chicago, and then moved directly to Disney’s box office hit Bringing Down the House, on which she also acted as executive producer. Her latest film, Fox Searchlight’s The Secret Life of Bees, won the Hollywood Film Award at the Hollywood Film Festival. Her latest TV Movie, Life Support, earned her another Emmy nomination, a Golden Globe win and another SAG Award.

To most people releasing multiple movies would be enough, but Queen Latifah wasn’t satisfied. On September 25th, 2007 Latifah released her new album titled Trav’lin Light in which she was nominated for a Grammy. She is also one of music’s most well respected rappers. From her ground breaking 1989 debut All Hail the Queen, to her bold foray into R&B, Latifah continues to define what a woman in the music industry should be. She has earned four Grammy nominations as well as a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance in 1994.

And then there’s Flavor Unit Entertainment, a production company owned and operated by Queen Latifah and her partner, Shakim Compere. The company is quickly establishing itself as one of the most important production companies in the film industry.

In addition to music, film and television, Queen Latifah has also written a book on self-esteem entitled Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman.

Queen Latifah is diligent in her pursuit of excellence, and her concern for others is revealed by the generous amount of time and money that she donates to worthwhile charitable organizations. Every year, she serves as co-chairman for the Lancelot H. Owens Scholarship Foundation, Inc. Established by her mother, Rita Owens, to perpetuate the memory of a loving son and brother, the foundation provides scholarships to students who excel scholastically, but are limited in financial resources.

Student Voices:

Maya Carrasquillo is a senior at Albany High School, enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Recently inducted into her school’s National Honor Society, she is also President of the Albany YMCA National Society of Black Engineers and Vice President of the Albany PAL Youth Leadership Council. She hopes to become an environmental engineer.

Joseph DeShields, from the Bronx, has been a member of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club since he was nine years old, and recently was named the Club’s Youth of the Year.  A senior at Cardinal Hayes High School, he is a member of the varsity football team and active in swimming.  Joseph wants to pursue a career in law and hopes to attend the University of Connecticut.

Brittany Plummer is a senior at The Bronx Guild High School, where she is involved in the Adobe Youth Voices program. For her Senior Thesis Project she is writing an autobiography about her struggles in the foster care system and losses in her family. Brittany’s writing is inspired by Maya Angelou.  Brittany ultimately hopes to attend John Jay for criminal justice.

Kendra Williams is a senior at Benjamin Banneker Academy High School in Brooklyn where she is an honor student. She is a member of GODDESS, a young women’s leadership program, and she has been on the basketball, volleyball and “step” teams. A veteran of Reel Works, Kendra anticipates a career in filmmaking and photography after college.

Ocasio Willson is a 2009 graduate of Albany High School where he was involved with the International Baccalaureate program. Currently a freshman at Vassar, he is a serious poet and rapper, committed to community service. Ocasio received a prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support his college studies.

Aaron Yau is a Senior at the Bronx High School of Science. He works at the New York Hall of Science as an Explainer in the Science Career Ladder program. At the Hall, Aaron teaches scientific concepts through the numerous hands-on exhibits. He aspires to be a doctor and hopes to serve those who are disadvantaged.