Categories: General
Date: Aug 18, 2009
Title: Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and the Hispanic College Fund Launch Inaugural Los Angeles Hispanic Youth Symposium
200 At-Promise Latino High School Students to Receive Education on College, Career, and Community
Los Angeles, CA (August 18, 2009) – More than 200 Hispanic students from Los Angeles’s Roosevelt, Santee, and Belmont high schools will gather on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles today to launch the first-ever Los Angeles Hispanic Youth Symposium, a four-day, three-night college access program hosted by the Hispanic College Fund and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. Student attendees, who were selected from a competitive admissions pool of more than 900 initial applicants, will focus on learning strategies for success in college, career, and community service, as well as building their self-confidence and the motivation needed to succeed in higher education and a professional career.
For immediate release
August 18, 2009
Contact:
Anne Guarnera
(908) 418-7821
aguarnera@hispanicfund.org
PARTNERSHIP FOR LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS AND THE HISPANIC COLLEGE FUND LAUNCH INAUGURAL LOS ANGELES HISPANIC YOUTH SYMPOSIUM
200 At-Promise Latino High School Students to Receive Education on College, Career, and Community
Los Angeles, CA (August 18, 2009) – More than 200 Hispanic students from Los Angeles’s Roosevelt, Santee, and Belmont high schools will gather on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles today to launch the first-ever Los Angeles Hispanic Youth Symposium, a four-day, three-night college access program hosted by the Hispanic College Fund and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. Student attendees, who were selected from a competitive admissions pool of more than 900 initial applicants, will focus on learning strategies for success in college, career, and community service, as well as building their self-confidence and the motivation needed to succeed in higher education and a professional career.
“The Hispanic Youth Symposium has already changed the lives of nearly 3,000 Latino students across the nation, and for this reason, we are thrilled to bring the program to Los Angeles,” said Idalia Fernandez, President of the Hispanic College Fund. “We see this program as a long-term investment in California’s future. By providing the next generation of California’s Latino professionals with the tools and opportunities that they need to be successful, we will ensure that these students contribute to their local communities by increasing the diversity and productivity of the California workforce.”
Local business leaders and public figures will welcome the students during the symposium’s opening ceremonies, including: Fern Barrueta, CEO of the Hispanic College Fund; Dr. H. Christian Raigosa of Kaiser Permanente; Mr. Dan Guerrero, UCLA’s Athletic Director, and Ernie G., Education Advocate and Comedian. The opening ceremonies will take place today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Korn Hall of UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.
During the Hispanic Youth Symposium, students will have the opportunity to connect with Hispanic mentors, attend workshops on college admissions and financial aid, compete for $14,000 in available scholarship funds, and meet with college admissions officers from local schools.
Workshops include such topics as occupations in the financial services industry and financial education, presented by Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. Kaiser Permanente, The Walt Disney Company, and Boeing will also present workshops at the symposium.
“The students who attend the Los Angeles Hispanic Youth Symposium can be our next generation of doctors, nurses, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and educators, and we want to encourage them to be successful and give back to their communities,” said Diana Bontá, Vice President of Public Affairs of Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. “Kaiser Permanente has always believed in the power of partnership, so this is a program we are proud to support.” In addition to the funding provided for the Los Angeles Hispanic Youth Symposium, Kaiser Permanente physicians and medical staff have also stepped forward as volunteers and mentors for the event.
Symposium attendees will also participate in a special “Issues to Action” competition on Wednesday, August 19, where they will be challenged to develop solutions to social problems within their home communities, such as the Hispanic high school drop out rate and teen pregnancy. The students’ proposals will be evaluated by volunteer judges from the Los Angeles professional community and the winning project will receive a $1,000 grant towards implementation. Two sessions of the competition will take place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the De Neve Floor Lounges A3, A4, A5, and A6.
The closing ceremonies of the Hispanic Youth Symposium will take place on August 21 at 2:30 p.m. in Korn Hall at the Anderson School of Business. At the closing ceremonies, students and volunteers will reflect on their experiences during the Hispanic Youth Symposium and select students will receive special awards and scholarships for their achievements during the program.
Following the conclusion of the symposium, students will be enrolled in the year-round programming of the Hispanic Youth Institute, which is designed to increase their college knowledge and help them maintain progress towards academic and professional success. The Hispanic Youth Institute also serves as a support system for students’ families by involving them in the college admissions process through regular workshops and ongoing education about scholarships, internships, and college application deadlines.
Founded in 2004, this year, the Hispanic Youth Symposium will serve six cities and 1,600 students across the United States. Of the more than 3,000 alumni of the program, approximately 90 percent have gone on to successfully enroll in college.
The Los Angeles Hispanic Youth Symposium is sponsored by AT&T; Bank of America; Kaiser Permanente; Southwest Airlines; UCLA; American Honda Foundation; the Social Security Administration; the Employees Community Fund of Boeing California; Grifols; the National Nuclear Security Administration; University of Phoenix Foundation;
The Walt Disney Company; the offices of Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti and Members Jose Huizar, and Jan Perry; the Central California Consortium; Comerica Bank; Darden Restaurants; Ernie G.; Fox Entertainment; Manatt; the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute; the United States Department of Agriculture; the United States Forest Service; the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Google; Jarritos; the Hispanic Heritage Foundation; KAPLAN K12 Learning Services; Lawry’s Catering; Pace Promotions, the San Francisco Hispanic Affairs Advisory Council; Sparkletts; Youth Venture; and many generous individuals.
To learn more about the Los Angeles Hispanic Youth Symposium, please visit: http://www.hispanicyouth.org/symposium-la
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About the Hispanic College Fund
Founded in 1993, the Hispanic College Fund is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., with a mission to develop the next generation of Hispanic professionals. For 15 years, the Hispanic College Fund has provided educational, scholarship, and mentoring programs to students throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, establishing a career pipeline of talented and career-driven Hispanics who are trained in the fields of business, science, technology, engineering, and math.
The Hispanic College Fund has an annual budget of $6 million with 20 full-time employees. In 2006, the Hispanic College Fund received the Brillante award for “Nonprofit of the Year” from the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, and in 2007 was recognized by USA Today as one of the nation’s top 25 charities.
Website: www.hispanicfund.org