Antonio Zaragoza, Photo Editor
On Saturday, the Hispanic Business Student Association is hosting its second annual high school conference to promote higher education and inspire students to pursue a college degree after high school.
“We have different workshops that are going to provide help for students and inspire them to stay in school, keep going to school and reach a higher education,” Shastity Urias, a co-coordinator of the event, said.
The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Exercise and Nutritional Science building on campus. Last year, about 50 students attended the conference, but more than 200 are expected at this week’s event.
The conference is a necessity because Hispanic students have one of the highest high school dropout rates. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, Hispanic students had a dropout rate of 17.6 percent in 2009, 4 percent higher than the next most likely group.
To help decrease this statistic, high school students will be able to meet SDSU students and talk to them about a variety of topics that will prepare high school students for college and encourage them to attend.
“The (high school) students will be able to talk about scholarships and how they can get them, different ways to become involved in college and organizations, and the opportunities available to them,” Urias said.
According to Urias there would be information about different community colleges, in case students are not prepared for a four-year university experience yet. Part of the conference will focus on transferring to a four-year school after starting in community college.
The keynote speaker for the event will be Geena the Latina, a co-host of the Frankie and Geena morning radio show, who, according to the HBSA, has worked through many obstacles in her life and stayed involved with her native culture.
Also on the agenda are workshops about studying abroad, Latina leadership, entrepreneurship and how to pay for college.
HBSA won both the Excellence in Marking Award and the Outstanding Organization Award at the 2011 Future Rising Business Leaders Awards.
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