The sixth annual Young Males of Color (YMOC) Consortium Conference was held on Nov. 20-21, bringing together students, higher education leaders, and CSU staff members from across the state to share research and strategies to promote student success, belonging, and academic achievement.
Hosted at Cal State Fullerton, the conference was an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments and discuss the goals and continuing challenges of young men of color in California. CSUDH Vice President of Student Affairs and YMOC Founder and Co-Director William Franklin said, “The consortium aims to address long-standing gaps in our education systems and ensure that pathways into and through higher education genuinely serve young men of color.”
The primary goal of the YMOC is not to work directly with students, but to elevate and support the professionals who guide them daily, Franklin added. By aligning systems, enhancing educator capacity, and grounding their efforts in shared data and proven practices, YMOC is designed to strengthen the pipeline from community colleges to the CSU.
“YMOC fortifies California’s educational ecosystem by ensuring that educators serving our students are supported, upskilled, and united in a shared mission to improve access, persistence, and completion for young men of color,” said Franklin.
“The lack of opportunity for young men of color has direct implications for California’s economic competitiveness, social cohesion, and long-term stability. Yet persistent inequities in access, transfers, retention, and graduation continue to limit educational and career opportunities. YMOC addresses these systemic barriers directly by bringing together the state’s educational sectors around shared goals, strategies, and accountability.”
“The YMOC Conference gives us space to be in community, to experience collective healing, and to lift up the excellence of young men of color as something to be expected, not the exception,” added Matthew Smith, Co-Principal Investigator and Co-Founder of YMOC.
During the two-day conference, attendees had opportunities to network and collaborate with hundreds of leaders from across the CSU system, California community colleges, and community-based organizations. The event sessions explored topics such as YMOC research, near-peer mentorship, the transfer student experience, shifts in college enrollment, internships, and conflict resolution.
“Attendees were inspired by the keynote speeches,” said Jesse Enriquez, Associate Director of YMOC. “They heard great things from their student peers, Cal State Fullerton President Ronald Rochon, and Victor Rios, whose message encouraged them to ‘turn their wounds into wisdom and their struggles into superpowers.’”
“This year’s conference was more than an event—it was a movement in action,” said Franklin. “With nearly 600 participants, including more than 300 students from the CSU, California Community Colleges, and local high schools, the gathering embodied our theme, ‘Thriving in the Face of Uncertainty.’ “
“The energy, brilliance, and resilience on display affirmed why this work matters,” he added. “Practitioners, faculty, and students came together to build community, share evidence-based strategies, and ignite new ideas for transforming educational outcomes. “While our annual conference offers two powerful days of connection, inspiration, and learning, the true impact of YMOC is realized in the other 363 days of the year—when we partner with CSU campuses, community colleges, and professionals across the state to disrupt complacency, align practices, and drive measurable, scalable change.”
