The 29th Annual Latino Student Retreat, sponsored by the Mendocino College Foundation, will take place on Friday, April 21, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. beginning at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts.  
 
The purpose of the Latino Student Retreat is to promote social and cultural awareness to high school students from Mendocino and Lake Counties.  The highlights include motivational speakers, workshops, entertainment and lunch. The event has increased in popularity since its inception 29 years ago, and it continues to draw well-known and excellent Latino role models as presenters from academic, political, legal, business and artistic fields. The theme for this year’s retreat is “Sueños sin fronteras” (Dreams Without Borders). We are very fortunate to have an excellent keynote speaker and workshop leader, Jaime Carias, joining us for this event:
 
Jaime Carias is a founding partner of College Success Services an educational consulting firm dedicated to solving today’s toughest social problems by developing highly motivational, evidence-based, and result driven programming aimed at supporting at-promise youth and parents. His ability to develop effective, holistic, and innovative programming aimed at fostering college-going cultures has given Carias the opportunity to collaborate with elected officials, school districts, public policy think tanks, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and colleges/universities across the country.  Carias was born and raised in the low-income community of South Central Los Angeles where as a young boy he saw how poverty, violence, drugs, and lack of opportunities resulted in an “ongoing war” in his community. At an early age he was inspired to impact and change underserved communities like his.  Carias holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from the University of Southern California. In his dynamic and heartfelt motivational presentations, Carias uses his life experiences, academic preparation, and decade of experience counseling parents and youth to educate participants on how education can be used as a tool to increase an individual’s financial, social, human, and cultural capital.
 
We anticipate over 300 students from grades 9-12 will attend and be accompanied by their teachers, counselors and chaperones.  The schools planning to be in attendance are:  Accelerated Achievement Academy, Anderson Valley, Fort Bragg, Kelseyville, Lower Lake, Middletown, Point Arena, Potter Valley, Redwood Academy, South Valley, Ukiah and Willits.
 
For questions about the Latino Student Retreat, please call Monica Flores at 707.468.1008.