Join us for the 14th annual Latino Role Models Conference, designed to inspire students in grades six through college to achieve their dreams for college and career. No pre-registration is required. Presentations center the experiences of Latino professionals, college students, and community leaders who share the barriers they have overcome and strategies to persevere. This conference will be conducted in Spanish with English interpretation. Parents and guardians are encouraged to participate along with their students. Resource tables will share information about the pathway to higher education.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Jaime Cortez, Watsonville and San Francisco Bay Area based writer and visual artist. Jaime’s debut collection of short stories Gordo is a work of semiautobiographical fiction set in farm worker camps and farm towns near Watsonville, California in the 1970s. Cortez spent his early years in San Juan Bautista and Watsonville where he attended public schools and graduated from Watsonville High School. He received his B.A. in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania, and his fine art MFA at UC Berkeley. Jaime was the first in his family to graduate from college and is excited to share his story at the 2024 Latino Role Models Conference.

Other professional presenters will include:
Melida Alfaro, Business Consultant and Entrepreneur
Dr. Roberto (Bobby) Diaz, Orthopedic Surgeon, Sutter Health
Maria Elena de la Garza, Nonprofit Executive Director, Community Action Board
Jose Gonzalez, Attorney, Santa Cruz County Public Defender
Jaime Molina, Social Worker, Trainer, Parent Educator
Mayra Ochoa, Web and IT manager, Digital Nest
Roberto Zuniga, Spanish Teacher, Aptos High School
Yesenia Lopez Duran, Social Worker, Santa Cruz County Public Defender
Erandi Escareño, Media and Communications Professional, will moderate the conference

For more information about Latino Role Models:
Call: (831) 854-7740
email: info@SCSenderos.org
website: SCSenderos.org

The Latino Role Models Conference was created by Senderos in 2010 and is now presented in collaboration with: Cabrillo College, Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, Consulado General de México en San José, Kaiser Permanente, Live Oak School District, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, San Lorenzo Unified School District, Santa Cruz City Schools, Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Santa Cruz County College Commitment, Scotts Valley Unified School District, Senderos, Soquel Union Elementary School District, UC Santa Cruz, Bay Federal Credit Union. This event is co-sponsored by the Humanities Institute.