Albany, NY - March 2007
Annual Northeast Student Diversity Leadership Conference selects The First Thirty for inaugural Multicultural Relations Book of the Year Award
Organizers of the Annual Northeast Student Diversity Leadership Conference have selected The First Thirty by Jillip Naysinthe Paxson for its Multicultural Relations Book of the Year Award.
In conjunction with the selection, organizers have ordered copies of The First Thirty for the first fifty participants of the Conference - which takes place on March 31 at Sage College of Albany.
Michelle Lawson, Director of Cultural Enrichment and Diversity for The Sage Colleges, said, "This special award is going to be given on an annual basis to a book that is relevant to the mission and purpose of our conference. The First Thirty was selected for the inaugural honor because it speaks to how one person can make a difference in improving multicultural relations."
Paxson's critically-acclaimed 96 page tale chronicles one young person's experiences addressing issues like labels, stereotypes, intolerance, and diversity, the events in and out of class which fueled his passion to do it, and the thirty lessons learned from his setbacks and successes along the way.
In Albany, The First Thirty is available at either Borders. It is available online at www.TheFirstThirty.com
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ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The Northeast Student Diversity Leadership Conference, which will take place on March 31, 2007 at Sage College of Albany, is an annual event for students, faculty and administrators from colleges and universities throughout the Northeast who are interested in the field of diversity.
The purpose of the conference is to create a forum for attendees to share their experiences about the various dimensions of diversity (disability; gender; race/ethnicity; religion; and sexual orientation); learn from academics, business professionals, and student diversity leaders about diversity and leadership; and network with college students and professionals from all over the Northeast.
Corey Ellis, Albany City Councilman for the 3rd Ward, is this year's Keynote Speaker.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The First Thirty, which is now used in internal/external programming by a wide variety of middle schools, high schools, colleges, nonprofit organizations, synagogues, Catholic organizations, sports teams and companies around North America, is based on the true story of Jefferson Award for Public Service honoree Greg Forbes Siegman .
It is the story of a young Jewish person whose life is thrown some extraordinary curves. But instead of focusing on his own plight, he continues to focus his energy on the ways that others are treated and what he can do to bring people together of different cultures and backgrounds -- using everything from art and athletics to films and food to achieve his goal. In the process, through his small but consistent acts over time as a community leader, an educator and a philanthropist, he sets off an improbable ripple effect that impacts thousands of lives around the world.
The true story has been profiled by media like The Washington Post Co, USA Today, Education Week and National Public Radio. Several years ago, Good Morning America buried a Time Capsule which chronicled Siegman's efforts to break down racial, cultural and social barriers among young people. Earlier this month, he was recognized by EntrepreneurshipWeek USA -- sponsored by Inc, New York Times and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation -- as one of America's "Trailblazers" for using his entrepreneurials skills to make a positive impact in society.
For more on Greg's true story - with photos - click here
