Alphonso Jackson (pictured at right), US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, met with the students in a private briefing in his office.

Secretary Jackson attributed three things to his success: education, being at the right place at the right time, and having mentors. He also told the students to live in the now, not the past or the future, because that is all that is promised.

Secretary Jackson also advised the students to remain steadfast in their career goals despite difficult circumstances. He quoted his father as saying, “A setback is a setup for a comeback.” He also illustrated how adversity can work to one’s advantage by saying, “When everything seems difficult, that’s when you should rise to the occasion and do your best.”

Additionally, he advised the students to strive for greatness in all that they do. He referred to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous quote, “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well."

He also encouraged the students to work hard, make money, and help the people around them, saying “poor is a state of mind, not a condition.” Overall, Secretary Jackson proved to be an exemplary role model, who offered the students great advice concerning pursuit of their career aspirations and fulfillment in life.