Students to attend Latino Leadership Conference

Savino Rivera hopes he can teach Indiana's Latinos that the future is "in the palm of their hand." \nAs vice president of the Latino Enhancement Cooperative, Rivera has helped plan the Latino Leadership Conference, which runs Saturday at the Kelley School of Business. "Visions to Reality: In the Palm of Your Hand" is the theme of this year's conference, and Rivera said he hopes students can take the message to heart.\n"It's very inspiring in that there's a large Latino community aspiring to come to Indiana University," he said.\nMore than 200 people, about 100 from Indiana colleges and 100 from Indiana high schools, have registered for the seventh annual conference, which is sponsored by LEC and La Casa Latino Cultural Center. Students will travel from as far as South Bend to attend the conference.\nLEC member Rebeca Hernandez said she believes the large turnout is a sign of progress for Indiana. \n"I think that that means the future for Latino students is a positive one," Hernandez said.\nThe event begins at 8 a.m. with registration in Room 109 of the Kelley School of Business. The conference features three workshops throughout the day -- one in the morning and two in the afternoon. Each workshop has three sessions that participants can attend.\nThe conference also features a speech by poet lyricist Oveous Maximus, who once appeared at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, N.Y.\n"It's a way of introducing the arts as well," said La Casa Director Lillian Casillas of Maximus' speech. \nShe said his speech will offer "another way of leadership and another way of activism."\nCasillas said she's excited about the conference because it will benefit both college and high school students.\n"From the high school perspective, they get exposed to different things," she said. "From the college perspective, it gives them a chance to give back to the community. It gives them an opportunity for their own professional development."\nShe said the high school students view the college students as role models, a role that Rivera relishes. \n"It inspires me more," Rivera said. "It reassures me that I am doing the right thing -- that I am making something of myself."\nPeople interested in attending the conference can sign up at registration Saturday morning.