Super Saturday brings former NFL player to campus, connects community with highe…

Hundreds of students and families gathered in the Satellite Student Union on Oct. 12 for Super Saturday, an annual outreach event hosted by the Black Student Success Initiative to provide middle school, high school and community college students with college readiness and retention resources, and help parents better understand how to support their children who are heading to college.

Former professional football player Robert Golden was this year’s keynote speaker. Born and raised in Fresno, Golden graduated from Edison High School and attended the University of Arizona before playing in the NFL. He spent six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring in 2018. After his retirement, Golden founded Golden Charter Academy, a K-8 charter school in west Fresno focused on environmental education stewardship.

Golden used his keynote address to talk to students about making their dreams a reality. He said, “When I was in elementary [school], I wrote that I was going to go to the NFL. I was going to make millions of dollars. I was going to buy my mom her first house. It happened.

“Fast forward, and I wrote that I wanted to open up a school and build a facility that was going to give our students the best of the best. We opened up our school and secured $24 million to build our state-of-the-art facility in Fresno. I give you all this information not to brag on me, but to show you that if you write your vision down, make your plan, it will happen.”

Following the keynote, students and families were free to attend workshops on a variety of topics, including financial aid and A-G college admission requirements. Attendees could also participate in hands-on activities related to the arts and science. 

Additionally, attendees had the opportunity to participate in an African Drum Interactive and see a performance from the Red Wavettes, the university’s majorette team. There was also a resource fair throughout the day to connect students and families with both on- and off-campus resources. 

With Black and African American students making up less than 3% of the university’s student demographic, Super Saturday plays an integral role in closing equity gaps.

“I’m hoping [students and families] get understanding and clarity on how college is attainable,” said Sade Johnson, program director for the Black Student Success Initiative at Fresno State. “We have to take actionable steps each year, from kindergarten through high school, especially if they’re first-gen students. We hope Super Saturday opens up a conversation about what higher education can be.”

Outside of Super Saturday, the Black Student Success Initiative hosts programming throughout the year to support student success. Visit to learn more about the initiative.