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Armida Lopez, filmmaker and actress. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Ed Morales, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Executive President. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Left to right – #ThisGen23 Host, Christiane Maertens, Founder & CEO at DoGoodery; #THISGen23 Panelists; Dr. Manny Aceves, Chief Program Officer at Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation; Josue Arias, Chief Kindness Officer at Boys & Girls Club; Pooja Pelham, Senior Manager of Social Impact at Hello Fresh. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Manny A. Aceves, Ed.D., Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
#THISGen attendee demoing immersive VR experience with Meta’s Quest 2 headsets. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Left to right – #ThisGen23 Host, Christiane Maertens, Founder & CEO at DoGoodery; #THISGen23 Panelists: Mat Hamilton, Reporter at LA Times; Armida Lopez, Filmmaker and Actress and Stephanie Perea, Senior Producer at Niantic. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Left to right– #ThisGen23 Host, Christiane Maertens, Founder & CEO at DoGoodery; #THISGen23 Panelists: Mat Hamilton, LA Times reporter; Armida Lopez, Filmmaker and Actress; Stephanie Perea, Senior Producer at Niantic. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Left to right – #ThisGen23 Host, Christiane Maertens, Founder & CEO at DoGoodery; #THISGen23 Panelists; Dr. Manny Aceves, Chief Program Officer at Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation; Josue Arias, Chief Kindness Officer at Boys & Girls Club; Pooja Pelham, Senior Manager of Social Impact at Hello Fresh. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Students listening to panelists at #THISGen23. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Elsie Cordero, student from Boys & Girls Club. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
#THISGen23 Panelists, left to right – Maia Chaka, NFL Official & Founder of Make Meaningful Change; Will Gilmore, Red Bull Performance Coach; Mariel Gonzalez, Director of Partnership Marketing at LAFC; Coleman Shelton, LA Rams O?ensive Guard. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
#THISGen23 [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
Students at Tournament of Roses #THISGen23 Career Resource Fair [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
#THISGen23 Panelists, left to right – Maia Chaka, NFL Official & Founder of Make Meaningful Change; Mariel Gonzalez, Director of Partnership Marketing at LAFC; Will Gilmore, Red Bull Performance Coach; Coleman Shelton, LA Rams O?ensive Guard. [Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses]
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses hosted #THISGen2023 Youth Empowerment Forum on Saturday, bringing together more than 300 Southern California youth.
The event featured an impressive lineup of panelists from some of the most influential sports, entertainment and technology organizations, including LA Times, NFL, Red Bull and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
Speakers shared their experiences and insights with attendees, focusing on empowering the next generation of leaders.
The discussions centered on leadership, breaking barriers and finding success by doing what you love. Participants also had the opportunity to learn about career opportunities in science, technology, and art and how they can use their talents in the professional world.
“We’re honored to host such an inspiring event and bring together students and professionals from various industries and backgrounds,” said Pasadena Tournament of Roses President Alex Aghajanian. “The Tournament of Roses is proud to support our community by providing meaningful and rewarding experiences. #THISGen2023 enriched the lives of so many and we’re thrilled to see the young attendees leave feeling empowered and ready to take on the world.”
Meta served as the presenting sponsor of the daylong event and offered attendees immersive VR experiences and a demo of Meta’s Quest 2 headsets for a glimpse of a potential career in tech. Additionally, support was provided through the Kindness is Free Program by the Boys & Girls Clubs, Official Kindness Partner of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.
“It was cool hearing from the people speaking and the advice they gave us,” said Christian Villegas from Marshal Fundamental High School. “We heard stories about what the panelists did get to their dream jobs, and I learned a lot.”
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