Planting seeds of knowledge, one student at a time, since 2006.
Tomás Rivera Educational
Empowerment Conference
Omega Delta Phi at The University of Oklahoma
WHAT IS TREE CONFERENCE?
The Tomás Rivera Educational Empowerment (TREE) Conference was launched in Fall 2006 to empower and support first-generation high school students in their pursuit of higher education. The conference is named after Dr. Tomás Rivera, who, after working alongside his family as a migrant worker, graduated from the University of Oklahoma. He later made history as the first minority Chancellor of the University of California at Riverside.
TREE Conference, hosted by Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, is the largest first-generation college empowerment conference in the state of Oklahoma. It was created to inform high school students from underrepresented backgrounds about the many resources, opportunities, and pathways available to them as they prepare for higher education. Participants spend the day at the University of Oklahoma’s campus, attending informative seminars, engaging in a college fair, and concluding with a scholarship banquet to celebrate academic achievement.
Over the past 19 conferences, TREE has continuously grown and exceeded expectations. In Fall 2024, TREE hosted hundreds of first-generation and marginalized high school students, awarding over $34,500 in scholarships to college-bound seniors. Many past attendees have gone on to enroll at OU and become leaders in their communities.
The 20th Annual TREE Conference will take place in the Fall of 2025 at the University of Oklahoma. We look forward to welcoming another generation of students as they take the next step toward achieving their educational goals.
Omega Delta Phi Fraternity Inc.
Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc. is a service and social fraternity that was founded on November 25, 1987 at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Although originally Hispanic-founded, the fraternity has grown in diversity and has adopted a “One Culture, Any Race” mentality that has been crucial to the success of our organization nationwide. Xi Chapter at the University of Oklahoma was established on November 23, 1996 as the first multicultural Greek organization on campus. Ever since our local inception, we have strived to give back not only to our campus, but to our surrounding communities. At OU, Omega Delta Phi is best recognized for our efforts in hosting the TREE Conference.
Omega Delta Phi exists with two primary goals: to graduate our brothers and to serve our communities. At Xi Chapter, we have a 98% graduation rate—much higher than the university average. Academics are a priority for all of our brothers and it is demonstrated by the continued success of our brothers as alumni. Apart from academics, the brothers are also known for our service and volunteerism to the community. Every semester, brothers total approximately 400-500 community service hours and are continually recognized on campus for our exceptional volunteerism.
At Xi Chapter, we decided to combine both of our goals as an organization to create the TREE Conference. Our hope is to not only promote higher education while giving back to our community, but to create a network among our TREE scholars. We see this as a real possibility, as every year our TREE scholars become a part of the conference themselves and are crucial in volunteer efforts before and the day of the conference. Our TREE Conference has impacted the lives of many students, some so deeply they joined our brotherhood with the same strong beliefs in our goals and visions as an organization. As we continue to grow, we continue to make a difference.
Student Seminars
The goal of T.R.E.E. conference every year is to engage students in a meaningful way. To accomplish this goal we cater a variety of seminars and workshops to conference attendees. Organizations hosting seminars will present information about higher education in a way where students can apply what they learned into their daily lives. Each and every year there is new and innovative seminars that students are able to attend. Below are some of the traditional seminars that T.R.E.E Conference hosts each year.
2024 TREE Scholars
The TREE Conference Team is proud to announce that over $500,000 in scholarships have been awarded since the first conference in 2006. In the Fall of 2024 alone, $34,500 in total scholarship money was awarded to 18 scholars. Our scholars are chosen based on academic excellence, community involvement, extracurricular activities, and financial need. Scholars are not obligated to attend the University of Oklahoma in order to redeem their scholarships, but rather they are encouraged to attend the university of their choice.
The number of scholarships and exact amounts awarded vary based on sponsor support. If awarded a scholarship, you will be required to provide proof of full-time enrollment at a post-secondary institution upon the start of your first semester.
Sponsoring the 2025 TREE Conference
The TREE Conference team realizes that none of this would be possible without our generous sponsors. We are grateful to everyone who has sponsored the conference and helped us work towards our goal of equipping students who are lacking resources and opportunities for success. The TREE Conference team works year round on planning the conference and seeking sponsors to secure funding for each annual TREE Conference. With the conference approaching this Fall of 2025, we are dedicated to making this year’s conference as impactful as possible.
Please consider sponsoring a scholarship or general conference expenses to help equip the students of today with the resources they will need to succeed tomorrow. If you would like more information regarding sponsorship or scholarship please contact our 2025 Sponsorship Coordinator, Luis Rivera Gonzalez to receive this year's sponsorship/scholarship packet at sponsorship@treeconference.org
Checks can be may payable to Omega Delta Phi/TREE Conference and mailed to Student Life, 900 Asp Avenue, Suite 428 Norman, OK 73019
2024 TREE Conference Executive Board
If you have any questions regarding participation, registration, scholarships, sponsorship or volunteer opportunities please email the respective coordinator and they will be happy to reply.
If you have any other questions regarding topics not mentioned, please contact the our 2024 TREE Chairman, Jared Zavala at chairman@treeconference.org
