2025 Conference Archive
Image to Influence: Leading with Class
Format
Individual Presentation
Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
Avery Consultants
First Presenter’s Email Address
candiceaverystyle@gmail.com
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Founder of Avery Consultants, an organization that empowers clients to make data driven decisions that optimize outcomes, Candice is an inspiring leader, trainer, and coach with over a decade of practice in leadership and performance improvement. Marrying her degrees in psychology and leadership with years of experience in the fashion industry, Candice coaches professionals across various industries on how to influence people and make positive impressions. Her improvement strategies have been implemented in schools across the country. A published author and national speaker, Candice works closely with schools to optimize their leadership abilities and rise to excellence.
Location
Scarbrough 3
Strand #1
Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership
Strand #2
Heart: Social & Emotional Skills
Relevance
Head: Attendees will receive pragmatic, high impact implementation tools to create a culture that supports and values positive self-concept for teachers and school leaders to drive high-quality student relationships leading to better performance.
Heart: It is well known that much of learning in a real classroom is the connection faculty achieve with their students, and the connection students achieve with each other. The presenter will provide evidenced based strategies to improve social and emotional competencies of teachers that will be reflected by their students.
Brief Program Description
As educators, our appearance is not only a representation of ourselves, but also a projection of how our scholars should want to see themselves—and is not just about our clothes. W.E.B. Dubois once said that “Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.” This is evident in classrooms where statistics show that students learn best from teachers who they can view as role models. In essence, when we look good, we feel good; and, when we feel good, we do good. Let’s talk about how!
Summary
Self-concept maintenance refers to how people maintain or enhance their sense of self. It is relatively fixed after a person reaches adulthood, but it can-and does-change based on a person’s experiences. Self-image, a dimension of self-concept, drives many aspects of our lives including how we communicate, our interactions, and how we are able to influence others. In a longitudinal study, Marsh (1990) found that students with more positive academic self-concept achieved greater academic success the following year. Later studies confirmed the relationship between the two. This all starts with how we as educators see ourselves—it is reflected in how we relate to our students. As educators, the way we dress is not only a representation of ourselves, but also a projection of how our students should see themselves. And it’s not just about our clothes—it’s our footprint on social media, the way we speak encouragement into our scholars, and the way we display our own confidence and self-esteem— and it is all influenced by our self-image. Evidence shows that an educator’s influence in the classroom is highly impacted by their appearance. Oftentimes, conference sessions are targeted at how we can directly help our students. While this is necessary, rarely are educators afforded an opportunity to understand how being their best selves allows them to be most effective in the classroom. This session will deep dive into how a positive self-image will result in optimized results in schools. The speaker will provide pragmatic tools for making the impression that makes a difference. Attendees will leave empowered and equipped to look good, feel good, and do good!
Evidence
In addition to the speaker’s own experience in the field of education, participants will benefit from strategies supported by an integration of peer reviewed research by Leaders of their own Education, Journal of Educational Psychology, and Journal of Black Studies among others.
Learning Objective 1
Participants will be able to gain deeper insight into their own self-concept and how it can be maintained or enhanced.
Learning Objective 2
Participants will be able to understand the psychology behind the impact of image on mental health and relationship building.
Learning Objective 3
Participants will be able to implement strategies to improve first impressions and increase influence in the classroom.
Presentation Year
2025
Start Date
3-4-2025 8:30 AM
End Date
3-4-2025 12:00 AM
Recommended Citation
Washington, Candice, "Image to Influence: Leading with Class" (2025). National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference. 93.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2025/2025/93
Image to Influence: Leading with Class
Scarbrough 3
As educators, our appearance is not only a representation of ourselves, but also a projection of how our scholars should want to see themselves—and is not just about our clothes. W.E.B. Dubois once said that “Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.” This is evident in classrooms where statistics show that students learn best from teachers who they can view as role models. In essence, when we look good, we feel good; and, when we feel good, we do good. Let’s talk about how!
