Figuring out the difference between a salad fork and a dessert spoon, elevator speeches and being presentable are just a few of the items that will be covered during the Young Men’s Etiquette Lunch Saturday.
The event is set for noon to 2 p.m. and will be held at the MCM Elegante Hotel. One Objective Inc., a nonprofit organization, is hosting about 50 Ector County ISD middle and high school students.
Attorney Gaven Norris of One Objective said the organization was started in fall 2020 as a result of Ector County ISD’s report on the disparate disciplinary treatment of minorities, especially African Americans, when they made up only about 4 percent of the district population.
Norris said the group got together to figure out what they could do to help correct this and One Objective was the result.
The group includes business owners, nonprofit leaders, people in the community, several athletes and coaches.
Special presenters will be Roy Williams, Permian High School graduate and former NFL wide receiver; Bradley Marquez, Odessa High School graduate and former NFL wide receiver; and Heather Valenzuela, former ECISD educator.
Norris said some parents wanted their children exposed to role models and others had heard about what One Objective was doing and wanted to be part of it.
Valenzuela will be the etiquette presenter.
“She’s also our presenter and lecturer for the entire professional and networking series,” Norris said.
“The stars aligned because she’s also the professionalism adjunct professor at UTPB, so this is kind of her area of expertise …,” Norris said.
One Objective’s name was also the goal, Norris said.
“That’s helping students within ECISD, all students but with a special focus on minority students, being able to improve some of their perceptions and realities and growth and being able to see folks that are a product of ECISD, or West Texas education, and to be able to help mentor them to success as they matriculate through school to graduation.”
As strategic planning the organization “adopted” a group of students from Nimitz and mentored them last year.
In one of their strategic planning meetings, Marquez gave an example of him and his mom being invited to a nice dinner, but not being prepared for the environment.
“We came up with the idea of an etiquette lunch. It was a great way to work in networking, introducing each other and socializing with junior high and high school students as part of one of our first events in 2022. We do this annually, but we’re doing more and more larger events with a larger group of students,” Norris added.
The core group of students One Objective is mentoring is from Nimitz Middle School. They were approved the week of Jan. 10 to with students at Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle School.
Students on the Permian and Odessa basketball teams will be joining.
Norris said this is the first of a professional development series that will cover etiquette, how to act when you attend a networking event, practicing your elevator speech and how to dress, for example.
Attendees will wear shirts, ties and slacks. They can bring one parent with them.
Norris said these are skill the young men will need later in life that One Objective can help them hone now.
The organization also will be working with students to help them keep their grades up and mentor them.
He said they will show highlights of Williams and Marquez in high school, college and the NFL.
Then Marquez and Williams will present 10 to 15-minute talks.
Marquez will focus on why events like this are important and tell his story on why etiquette is important.
Williams will speak toward the end on why events like the lunch are important and also having a Plan B because not everyone goes into the NFL, and if they do, the lifespan is usually short for most athletes, Norris said.
He added that he went through a similar program in about five hours about 10 years ago before taking part in the Archer Fellowship in Washington, D.C.
He noted that the programs are something they may offer to adults in the future.
“It’s something that we’re definitely considering. I think everyone can benefit from it. What’s a dinner fork; salad fork; where does your water go; where is the bread and the meat; your dessert spoon; all of that …,” Norris said.
