4th Annual LEAD Conference Empowers Future Students

Southland Latino students seeking information and resources to pursue higher education made their way by the hundreds to the University of La Verne’s Latino Education Access and Development (LEAD) Conference Sept. 12.

Themed “A Journey of Success: From Getting in to Giving Back,” the free conference included workshops geared toward middle and high school students, parents, students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) careers and more. There were also workshops for current college students to learn about fellowships, scholarships and grants.

LEAD is important for the community because Latinos comprise half of the Inland Empire population. The University of La Verne is considered a Hispanic Serving Institution, with more than 41 percent of its student population considered Latino.

Serving as keynote speaker for
 the conference was Juan Gonzalez, one of the nation’s best-known Latino journalists and a columnist for the New York Daily News. His reporting on the labor movement, the environment, race relations, and urban policy have garnered numerous accolades, among them two George Polk Awards for commentary and a 2004 Leadership Award from the National Hispanic Heritage Foundation.