Learning, Unlearning, and Keeping it Weird in Austin, TX 

Contributing Writers: Lauren Brandt Schloss, Executive Director & Joe Levy, Chief Operating Officer

Earlier this month, we attended SXSW EDU for the first time since 2016, when Lauren attended with Senior Director of Student Affairs, Kerry Barnhart. We were inspired by Austin's hospitality, and enjoyed meeting with educators, administrators, and artists from all over the country. With the local mantra of “Keep Austin Weird” in our minds, we felt right at home in the city, and were delighted to be surrounded by familiar ideals of being uniquely U. 

Throughout the week, we attended talks and sessions led by indigenous, Latinx, and Black leaders in youth education which focused on creating, establishing, and maintaining equity in education. Among these incredible leaders was the immensely moving keynote speaker, Ruth Simmons, the first Black president of an Ivy League university. On the last day of SXSW EDU, we attended a talk the led by Sandy Hook Promise, the national nonprofit organization founded by several family members who lost loved ones at the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. We would like to share the Sandy Hook Promise website with our Usdan community, as well as their Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, which is designed to provide a safe, anonymous way to report students whose behavior could potentially harm themselves or others. We’re excited to bring what we learned at SXSW EDU to Usdan this year and beyond. 

Thank U

Thank you to SXSW EDU and Austin, TX, for an unforgettable week of learning and connection. We want to send a special thank you to PKF Hospitality’s Consulting Director Channing Henry for hosting us during our stay, and the W Hotel’s General Manager Joanna McCreary for showing Joe around ACL’s Moody Theater. We were delighted to also meet Austin Proper Hotel’s Managing Director, Karla Aabo.