Thank You to Dr. Dante Dixson!

On Monday, October 6, 2025 at the Annual Fall Conference, "Take a Chance on Gifted  Education," our keynote speaker, Dr. Dante Dixson, shared his vision about unlocking potential in students through the power of hope. As Dr. Dixson shared, inequity for academic success often stems from external factors, such as poverty, stereotypes, and racism. Through his work, Dr. Dixson attempts to better understand and work on the thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs held by students, which leads to greater success. 

Dr. Dixson explained that "Hope is one's ability to believe in a better tomorrow, irrespective of one's current circumstances, as well as his belief, and corresponding motivation, that he can get there" (https://www.thehopelab.org/).

Through actionable strategies, Dr. Dixson helps students recognize that hope without action is wishful thinking, or optimism. Students need to develop the strategies/goals to move from optimistic wishful thinking to fruition.

Thank you to Dr. Dante Dixson for inspiring us to generate hope and action in ourselves and our students!

For more resources, please visit: Hope Lab.

- Dr. Maria Katsaros-Molzahn, WATG Secretary and Conference Co-Chair