In conjunction with Hispanic Month, motivational Speaker, Andres Lara -- better known as The Cuban guy -- spoke at NMU's UNITED Conference. His presentation is titled "how to move forward when you feel like quitting." Lara's talk was one of more than a dozen presentations on a wide variety of topics that made up the 2014 UNITED Conference, the ninth annual UNITED Conference held at NMU.  You can view many of the presentation of the UNITED presentations. If you have ideas for speakers, performers or topics for UNITED 2015, email them here. 

TC Tolbert, a trans and genderqueer feminist poet and college writing instructor, gave a reading of his poetry at 2014 UNITED, as well as a workshop on communicating, supporting and engaging the trans and genderqueer populations. Tolbert is the author of Gephyromania, I: Not He: Not I, spirare, and territories of folding and is also co-editor of Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry and Poetics.

Jill Doerfler (White Earth Anishinaabe), department head of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is an author and editor of works that examines Anishinaabe resistance to racialization and the complex issues surrounding tribal citizenship and identity. Her presentation at UNITED 2014 focused on Intersections: Identity and Tribal Citizenship Among the White Earth Anishinaabeg.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, an internationally recognized journalist who covers national security and foreign policy issues, presented her New York Times bestselling book The Dressmaker of Khair Khana at UNITED 2014.  The book tells the true story of a young girl who becomes an entrepreneur in order to support her family and community during the period of Taliban rule.  View the book trailer.

Emily Arnold-Fernández, founder and executive director of Asylum Access, presented at the 9th Annual UNITED Conference about the international laws regarding refugees, saying "For half a century, international law has given refugees the rights to live safely, seek employment, send children to school and rebuild their lives. But those rights are meaningless unless they are respected on the ground. Asylum Access provides a rare opportunity to fill a gaping hole in our human rights system – by making refugee rights a reality for real people.”

Mark Wafer, a Toronto business leader and advocate for hiring employees with disabilities, presented at 2014 UNITED on why hiring employees with disabilities makes economic sense for businesses and organizations. In the past 18 years Mark has hired over 100 people with disabilities in meaningful and competitively paid positions and says they help his bottom line. View his presentation.