Students and faculty from the health and kinesiology department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville will host the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Diversity in Sport Regional Conference, Friday and Saturday, April 29-30. The conference will be virtual with registration at https://sites.google.com/tamu.edu/aasp-disc-virtual-conference/
Universities in the association take turns hosting the conference, and this year Texas A&M-Kingsville was asked to host. The university is the only one in Texas to offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance psychology.
“The target audience is students, faculty, and staff, both at Texas A&M-Kingsville and elsewhere. We have two faculty giving a presentation—Judy Bloomquist, senior lecturer and Dr. David Cutton, associate professor—who will talk about Bridging Gaps over Troubled Waters during a lecture presentation, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday,” said Dr. Amber Shipherd, associate professor and one of the organizers.
Shipherd is joined in the planning process by faculty and students from the health and kinesiology department including Dr. Brian Menaker, associate professor; Dr. Lorraine Killion, associate professor; graduate students McKenzie Hahn and Creighton Avery; and undergraduate students Sophia Ramirez and Bryan Pizarro.
The keynote speakers will be
Shameema Yousuf, MBACP, who will talk about Intersectionality and Cultural Hybridity: Considering Transnational Colonial Experiences through Two Frameworks and their Implication for Belonging in Sport from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday.
Chaska L. Gomez, Psy.D, ABPP, who will discuss Confessions of Black, Female, Military Psychologist: My Personal Experience from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday.
In its sixth year, The AASP’s Diversity in Sport Regional Conference is a student-driven event targeting traditionally underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students and early career professionals interested in working in applied sport, exercise and performance psychology.
Through a variety of discussions, presentations and networking opportunities, the conference provides a space for open dialogue around diversity and social justice issues in applied sport and exercise settings.