Alief ISD students mentored at Enterprising Women conference; district partners covered travel for selected attendees

Alief ISD on April 15 highlighted a district mentorship effort that brought women business leaders to campus for a local ‘‘Young Enterprising Women’’ conference in January and that resulted in selected students and staff attending a national Enterprising Women conference in Nashville.

The district’s Dolores Jones described the January conference at the Alief Center for Talent Development, saying the event expanded from an initial goal of about 100 students to about 250 young women who were mentored in STEM and other fields. Jones credited community partners and local staff—including Dr. Karen Jacobs, Dr. Alba Bowen, Leslie Ayers and Stacy Keener—for organizing the conference and for arranging follow‑up opportunities.

“Each young lady was mentored in the individual STEM field of studies,” Jones told the board, and many students “also brought their resumes” and received mentors’ contact information for future guidance. Jones said professional mentors later offered to sponsor an all‑expense trip to the national Enterprising Women conference in Nashville.

Dr. Luz Elena Rivers, identified in the meeting as CEO and owner of Emera Solutions and founding president of the Rivers for Health Foundation, told the board she and members of the Enterprising Women network have recruited mentors from a range of industries to work with Alief students. “Some of these young women sometimes believe that they can't or they don't know how or they don't know what it looks like and you have to see it to believe it,” Rivers said.

Students who attended described networking and career sessions that expanded their plans for college and careers. Madison Osasue, a student from Taylor High School, said the conference taught networking and financial‑security skills and “gave me an idea of what I want to be in the future.” Another student, Anna Sanchez Lopez, said she connected with alumni and mentors relevant to her college plans.

District presenters said community business partners and mentors covered travel and conference costs for selected students and chaperones, but board remarks did not specify the total number of students and staff whose Nashville travel was paid by partners. The meeting noted that district staff and volunteers coordinated logistics for travel; Superintendent Mays and other presenters named district staff who supported planning and travel arrangements. The district’s acting chief of police, Chief Paul Fallas, was credited with coordinating expedited TSA assistance and other airport support for the traveling group.

Board members and presenters described the initiative as part of a continuing mentoring relationship: Dr. Alva Baldwin, director of guidance and counseling, said the mentors plan to continue contact with their mentees into postsecondary studies.

Why it matters: board members framed the program as both a student‑development opportunity and a way to strengthen business‑district partnerships that can open internships, scholarships and future support. The district did not present a line‑item budget for the initiative during the report.

What remains unclear: the board record described the number of students who attended the January district event (about 250) and noted that mentors sponsored travel to the national conference, but the meeting did not provide a clear, single figure for how many students and chaperones ultimately traveled on partner‑funded trips to Nashville.

Speakers at the meeting who discussed the program included Dolores Jones (district staff), Dr. Luz Elena Rivers (Emera Solutions), Dr. Karen Jacobs (secondary science coordinator), Dr. Alba Bowen (director of guidance and counseling), Leslie Ayers (digital learning coordinator), Stacy Keener (technology integrator), Madison Osasue (Taylor High School student) and Anna Sanchez Lopez (student).