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2026 Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference (TOCLC)

2026 Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference (TOCLC)

TOCLC Logo

When Wisdom Speaks


The 2026 Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference (TOCLC) theme is When Wisdom Speaks, celebrating a twelve-year commitment to empowering gender-diverse individuals of color across the Five Colleges, Western Massachusetts, and beyond. The TOCLC provides a space to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of gender-diverse individuals of color through opening dialogues and raising consciousness on issues relating to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc. The SGA Students of Color Committee aims to meet these goals by continuing to open the event to all individuals. Honoring Mount Holyoke’s commitment to gender diversity, the primary audience is self-identifying gender minorities and women of color in 9th grade and up from the Five­ Colleges, Western Massachusetts, and beyond.

The conference is coordinated in collaboration with the Division of Student Life, the Office of Community and Belonging and the Weissman Center for Leadership and co-sponsored by the Mount Holyoke Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Five College Consortium, UMASS Women of Color Leadership Network, and various Mount Holyoke departments and student organizations.

Registration Fees



*Keynote speaker is FREE and open to non conference attendees*

The registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, conference swag, entrance to the BIPOC/POC Business Expo and a ticket to the VIP meet-and-greet with the keynote speaker.

Contact toclc-g@mtholyoke.edu or community-belonging@mtholyoke.edu with any questions.

Register

Ready to Get Involved?


Vendor Registration Propose a workshop

About this year's theme
"When Wisdom Speaks" is a powerful mandate to honor the elders, trailblazers and advocates who fought for — and successfully moved us toward — the equitable inclusion of all. This theme centers radical listening: tuning into the stories, strategies, and sacrifices of our forebears to equip us with wisdom to navigate the complex climate of today. Their collective path is our roadmap. We don't need to invent solutions; we need to absorb and activate the guidance, knowledge and lived experiences of these activists to empower our present fight. It is an invitation to listen deeply, act boldly and remember that we walk a path forged by those who began speaking the truths we now press toward.
Students of Color Students of Color Committee (SOCC)
The lead student coordinators of the conference is the SGA Students of Color Committee (SOCC), who prides itself on creating spaces where students can continue to question, challenge, and cultivate their minds to advance personal growth, commitment, and social advocacy for historically underrepresented communities. In addition, the SGA SOCC strives to encourage open dialogues and raise consciousness about issues and intersections prevalent in modern-day society regarding race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and many more identities.

Learn more about SOCC

Annual TOCLC Leadership Award

The Annual TOCLC (Trailblazers Of Color Leadership Conference) Leadership Award is a $500 award granted to students of color in leadership at Mount Holyoke College.

Eligible applicants must:

  • Be actively serving on the leadership board of an SGA Commitee or a Registered Student Organization.
  • Have created change within their organization
  • Have attended the Trailblazers Of Color Leadership Conference. 

Application Deadline: March 28, 2026
Award Amount: $500.00 

Apply

Schedule at a glance

9 am: Registration and Breakfast

10 am: Opening Plenary Session Begins

  • Welcome
  • Land Acknowledgement
  • Official Welcome From The College
  • Performance
  • Conference Charge 
  • TOCLC Student Leadership Award Announcement 

10:41 am: Break

11 am: Concurrent Workshop Sessions I

  • TAKE THE MIC & Share When Wisdom speaks in your personal, school and work life ..
    Ayanna C Crawford (Blanchard Campus Center, Room 213)
  • Your Body's Wisdom: Cultivating Somatic Healing & Intuition
    A'dahi Baira Delgado (Blanchard Campus Center, Great Room)
  • Wise Women and Radical Tables
    Nzima Hutchings (Blanchard Campus, Room 227)
  • Vision Back to Visit Forward
    Barbara McClane (Blanchard Campus Center Room 318) 
  • Networking, Mentoring and Sponsorship for Undergraduate Students of Color
    Azizah Yasin (Blanchard Campus Center, Room 206)

12 pm: Lunch, Performances, BIPOC Business Expo

2 pm: Break

2:10 pm: Concurrent Workshop Sessions II 

  • Community is Timeless: How Women of the Past influence our Present 
    Jasmine Chen (Blanchard Campus Center, Room 206)
  • When Wisdom Meets Technology: Women of Color designing ethical AI
    Tanvi Kandepuneni (Blanchard Campus Center, Room 213)
  • When Wisdom Speaks: Healing Scarcity & Activating Ancestral Financial Wisdom
    Rosey Ok (Blanchard Campus Center, Room 227)
  • Ballroom (The Cultural Influence)
    Derek Wanzo (Blanchard Campus Center, Great Room) 

3 pm: Break

3:10pm: Student Highlight Speaker

  • Eartha Mejia, FP

3:40 pm: Break

4 pm: Closing Plenary – Keynote

  • A Conversation With Dr. Carolyn Jeffereson-Jenkins
    Book signing will follow from 5:30–6 pm

6 pm: VIP Meet and Greet, Dessert Reception

Plenary Concurrent Workshops I Concurrent Workshops II
Breakfast buffet

Registration and breakfast

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 9am to 10am

This is a past event.

Come pick up your registration packet which includes a TOCLC tote bag, pen, notebook, and other goodies while enjoying a continental breakfast.

Mary Woolley Hall, Chapin Auditorium

Deadlines & Important Dates
I'm Interested
TOCLC promotional image featuring logo and date of conference.

Opening Plenary

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 10am to 10:40am

This is a past event.

This year’s Opening Plenary Session we will include welcome and opening remarks by the chairs of the SGA Students of Color Committee and the President Danielle Holley, President of Mount Holyoke...

Mary Woolley Hall, Chapin Auditorium

Lectures & Presentations
I'm Interested
Photo tiles of a variety of food.

Lunch, BIPOC Business Expo and Entertainment

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 12pm to 2pm

This is a past event.

A diverse selection of ethnic cuisine is provided for all registered conference attendees, including presenters, performers, and vendors. Please join us in Chapin Auditorium to connect and...

Mary Deacon Bullard Garden, Chapin Auditorium

Gatherings & Meetings
I'm Interested
Dessert display

VIP Reception With Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 6pm

This is a past event.

Sponsored by the SGA Students of Color Committee in Collaboration with the Division of Student Life, Office of Community and Belonging and the Weissman Center for Leadership and co-sponsored by the...

Mary Woolley Hall, Chapin Auditorium

Gatherings & Meetings
I'm Interested

Our Sponsors

Mount Holyoke College Departments and Organizations
  • Department of Classics and Italian
  • Department of English
  • Department of Geology and Geography
  • Department of German Studies
  • Department of History
  • Department of International Relations
  • Department of Jewish Studies
  • Department of Languages and Cultures
  • Department of Neuroscience
  • Department of Philosophy
  • Department of Psychology and Education
  • Department of Romans, Languages and Cultures
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Division of Student Life
  • McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives
  • Spanish, Latina/o, Latin American Studies
  • Weismann Center for Leadership
Five College Sponsors
  • Five College Consortium - Student Coordinating Board
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst, Women of Color Leadership Network (WOCLN)
Special Thank Yous
Thank you to the following individuals, departments, and/or organizations for making this year’s conference possible.
  • Event Services
  • AnnMarie Murdzia
  • Annie Clattenburg
  • Facilities Management
  • Kim Lavorie
  • Marketing and Communications
  • Office of the President
  • Student Government Association Executive Board
  • Tim Dietrick and the Stage Crew
SGA Students of Color Committee

SGA Students of Color Committee

  • Syeda Asha
  • Karoline Bastien
  • Mariana Cruz-Sanchez
  • Andrea Kekula
  • Sakile Nash
  • Leza Nigus
  • Maria Martinez
  • Elizabeth Oluwasuyi - Chair
  • Leza Nigus
  • Destiny Pond
  • Margaret Wu

Advisors

Latrina L Denson, Associate Dean of Students, Executive Director of Community Belonging