Hispanic students get look at college campus
Fresno Bee 1/14/07
Alex Valdovinos, for example, was in awe of California State University, Fresno, because it has a snack bar.
Alex, 12, attended the conference with 11 classmates from Navelencia Middle School in Reedley.
About 300 middle and high school students from around the Central Valley were at Fresno State for the 34th Annual Chican@Youth Conference. (Organizers said the @ symbolized gender inclusiveness.) The conference was organized by the Fresno State Latino club MEChA, or Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán.
The conference gave students a chance to learn about higher education by listening to speakers talk about their college experiences and by participating in workshops.
Blanca Alvarado, a junior at California State University, Stanislaus, said many students came to the conference because they see it as a social event, but they will be leaving with more knowledge about college opportunities.
Alvarado, a member of MEChA at Cal State Stanislaus, volunteered at the event, which she attended when she was a high school student.
"We want them to experience the college life," Alvarado said.
The conference began in the Satellite Student Union with a performance by dancers dressed in traditional Aztec clothing. Guest speakers then talked about the importance of attending college.
"One of the good things about being poor is, you can get financial aid," said Alegria De La Cruz, an attorney with the Fresno Migrant Farmworker Project.
De La Cruz said many young people feel like they are stuck in a rut. She challenged them to make positive changes in their lives.
Students also attended a variety of workshops on topics such as Chicana identity, the war in Iraq and financial aid.
Luis Ramos, a senior at Parlier High School, hosted a workshop about school clubs.
The 17-year-old president of his school's MEChA club explained the roles held by various officers in an organization, such as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.
Luis said many students are too shy to participate in a school club and he wanted to show them that it's easy.
"This is how I get to know people," he said.
Ben Benitez, a senior at Farmersville High School, said he attended the workshop because he is in a club of students interested in law enforcement called the Farmersville Police Explorers.
Ben, 17, said he wants to work for the FBI.
Alex, the middle school student who is a fan of the snack bar, said he wants to attend Fresno State.
His classmate, John Arambula, 12, said he also wants to attend Fresno State and believed he was getting a head start by attending the conference.
Andrea Longoria, a senior at Fresno State and member of MEChA, said she was apathetic when she was in middle and high school. She said she saw a lot of the same traits in the students at Saturday's conference.
"They don't realize the power they have as youth," Longoria said. "I hope that they get the message."