sPark 2021 Brings Park Community Together

sPark 2021 — the Park Scholarships program’s third biennial leadership and networking symposium — was reimagined from an in-person weekend event to a weeklong opportunity to think big, discuss relevant issues, and celebrate 25 years of Park Scholars’ accomplishments. 

Because the event took place online, members of the Park community around the world were able to join sessions on topics including service in 2021, the Park pillars across life stages, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. View the complete program and recordings of many sessions.

Joy Johnson ’07, senior hardware R&D engineer and technology lead at Apple, kicked off the event with keynote remarks on the importance of character. Panelists weighed in on environmental justice, education, health care, student startups, and CEO leadership.

Through a partnership with TEDxNCState, premieres of four talks given by Park Scholars and Park alumni were included in the sPark program. Interactive sessions included a guided practice for protecting mental health and a fun movement series dubbed “brain teasers for the body.” Networking and social sessions allowed participants to engage with our extraordinary community of changemakers. With more than 240 registered attendees and 35 presenters, this event exemplified the pillars of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

sPark Presenters

sPark Planning Committee

Save the date for sPark 2023
park.ncsu.edu/spark