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Nicole Roales
Office of University Communications
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Last modified: Monday, February 2, 2009

Deadline approaching for students to register for IU Latino conference in Indianapolis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 2, 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The deadline is approaching for college and high school students across the state to register for the 10th Annual Indiana Latino Leadership Conference.

Sleeping Giant

Indiana University Bloomington's Indiana Latino Leadership Conference committee members are sponsoring this year's event with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Ivy Tech Community College. This year's theme is "Sleeping Giant? From Invisible to Invincible," and the conference will be Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Campus Center at IUPUI.

Students interested in attending the conference can go online to register and pay the $10 fee. The deadline to register is Feb. 9, and registration will not be valid until payment has been submitted.

"The conference is a great way to meet new people and push yourself to be better," said Eric Jose de la Rosa, a junior studying telecommunications at IU Bloomington. "For high school students, the conference is even better, because it takes away the fear of going to college and makes the college experience something to anticipate."

The mission of the conference is to celebrate the uniqueness of Latino students in a forum organized by students for other students. The forum seeks to cultivate the exchange of ideas, values and beliefs in order to promote scholarship, leadership development and empowerment of Indiana's college and high school Latinos. This year's conference will celebrate both the leaders of the future and those from the past who have served as inspiration for students.

Alneida Madrigal, an IU sophomore studying public management, is attending the conference for the second time this year because she found last year's workshops helpful and also met new friends.

"It was a great opportunity to meet people from different schools," Madrigal said. "The workshops were helpful and interactive, and taught me a lot about communicating with others. We were put into groups for most workshops, and we learned how to work together."

Last year, more than 500 students attended the conference, and organizers are hoping to attract even more people this year. Fernando Munoz, an IU senior majoring clinical psychology with a minor in Spanish, attended last year's conference. He found the opportunity to network to be the biggest benefit and also appreciated meeting chapter members involved with the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.

High school students who attend can interact with college students, and spend time learning about how to prepare for college and why it's so important to earn a higher education degree. Representatives from Indiana colleges will be available to answer students' questions at booths.

College students will learn how to be good leaders and how to work with people in a professional setting. They also will participate in discussions about current events. Last year, college students listened to presentations on the importance of voting and how voting can impact the Latino community. Jennifer Rios, an IU junior majoring in journalism and Spanish, has been on the conference board for two years now.

"I would definitely encourage everyone Latino and non-Latino to attend the conference, because it doesn't matter what race you are," Rios said. "All students who are dedicated to having a better future can take away something from this conference. It is a great resource for both high school and college students, and offers many networking opportunities. From attending the conference I have learned that young Latinos are trying to make a difference and surpass the stereotype that we are given."

Additional questions can be directed to the committee via e-mail at iulec@indiana.edu or by phone at 812-855-0174.