All the panels and speeches are bullshit. People go to suck up to big shots and pass around laminated resumes for the price of $500. These conferences are sometimes run under the guise of identity (e.g. a Latino professional association) but make no mistake that this is an exclusive space. Fortunately I got a grant from my school so I was able to punch above my weight in qualifications. If you’re too poor or don’t have the benefit of a well-resourced institution then sucks for you I guess. The capitalistic milieu we live in has warped vocabulary to the extent that we’re not just calling this plain old corruption.