Buffalo, NY – Canisius University presents “Excellence Within Reach – Celebrating Twenty-Five Years of the Academic Talent Search/Trio Program.” The virtual summit will be held on Friday, March 26 at 3:00 p.m. In celebrating Black history awareness, the college has invited rapper, actor and activist Michael Santiago Render, better known by his stage name “Killer Mike,” to speak at the event. The summit is sponsored by the college’s Academic Talent Search Program, and is free and open to the public.
Render was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Throughout his career, his music focused on social issues included systemic racism, police brutality and social inequality. This past October, Render partnered with Bounce TV founder Ryan Glover and former Atlanta Mayor and civil rights activist Andrew Young to create Greenwood Bank, a Black-owned online bank that caters to economically underserved Black and Latino communities across the United States. Greenwood Bank is set to open this year.
The Academic Talent Search (ATS) program (ATS) is one of five federally-funded TRIO programs established under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Academic Talent Search of Canisius University serves approximately 600 youth recruited from area schools and community service organizations each year. The program provides students with educational, social and career support services to increase the possibility of participants becoming enrolled in postsecondary institutions.
For more information on Academic Talent Search, contact Canisius at 716-888-3280.
One of 27 Jesuit universities in the nation, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York. Canisius prepares leaders – intelligent, caring, faithful individuals – able to pursue and promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.
