The University of Colorado at Â鶹¹ÙÍø, in partnership with Storage Technology Corp., will host the 1999 Latino Student Unity/Leadership Conference Thursday, May 6, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University Memorial Center.
More than 300 Latino/Chicano high school students from the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Valley School District are expected to attend. The students engage in a variety of workshops and presentations on Latino/Chicano literature and history, film studies and higher education opportunities.
"The purpose of the conference is to expose Latino students to the university environment and to encourage the pursuit of higher education in the Latino community," said Cleo Estrada, co-coordinator of the conference and a counselor in CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø's Cultural Unity Student Center.
The theme for the conference is "Si, Se Puede," which in English means, "Yes, you can." Keynote speakers are Judge David Ramirez of Denver County and Patricia Rivera Barela, director of the Small Business Administration for Colorado.
The idea for the conference began in 1998 when several Latino students from Centaurus High School met with school administrators, community members and CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø staff to request an opportunity to meet other students from their school district in order to form friendships and develop a partnership with the community.
Many people joined forces to sponsor a day-long conference that provided information and resources on how to be great students and caring community members.
Arapahoe Ridge High School, Â鶹¹ÙÍø High, Broomfield High, Centaurus High, Fairview High, New Vista High and the Â鶹¹ÙÍø County Commissioners helped to sponsor this year's event.
The conference complements the CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø strategic plan to build and support cooperative working relationships with K-12 programs and surrounding communities and to play an important role in preparing youth for life, work and citizenship in the next century .