RISE Summit 2024

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The RISE Summit is RISE’s annual conference-style event that celebrates resilience in the Pepperdine community. Each year, the event features students, faculty, staff, and outside speakers who share compelling stories of resilience to inspire our community. This year, the RISE Summit will focus on the Spiritual Dimension of resilience, and our speakers' stories will focus on moving through past or ongoing personal challenges by leaning on their faith. 

This year, in partnership with Pepperdine faculty Dr. John Peterson and the NetVUE Grant, the RISE Summit will feature Dr. Deanna A. Thompson as the keynote speaker!

There will be two RISE Summit sessions: 

• Lunch Keynote Session | 12-1:30PM | Fireside Room (Register Here)
  Dr. Deanna A. Thompson is Director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values and Community and Martin E. Marty Regents Chair in Religion and the Academy. The author of five books, including The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World on how digital tools can help us better care for those who suffer and Glimpsing Resurrection: Trauma, Cancer, and Ministry about where the Christian story meets those undone by serious illness. In addition, Thompson’s writings have appeared in the Huffington Post, Christian Century, Gather, and beyond. When she’s not writing, speaking or teaching, Thompson and her family are trying to get to all 63 national parks–just 25 more to go.
• Dinner Panel Session | 6-8PM | The Light House (Register Here)
  The Dinner Session will feature a panel of Pepperdine undergraduate and graduate student speakers who will share their own compelling stories of spiritual resilience. Following the time of storytelling, there will be a Q&A session moderated by Dr. Deanna A. Thompson, the keynote speaker for the lunch session.

We hope that you will join us for this meaningful time of fellowship, storytelling, capacity building, delicious food, fun merch, and great prizes! For more details, check out the RISE Instagram.

Attendees will enjoy a free meal, receive a limited edition RISE Summit hoodie, and will be entered into a raffle for exciting prizes. Registration is required as space is limited.