LEADING LATINOS: The 10th annual Si, Se Puede leadership conference will be held on Sat. April 18th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The goal of the conference is to show Latinos and Latinas their full potential through workshops in the conference. “It’s programs like “Si Se Puede” that create that exposure in which we, as an organization, are able to communicate how a higher education is very possible,” Rangel said.
By JOHANNA HALL – Staff Writer
The tenth annual Si, Se Puede leadership conference will be held at UGA on Sat. April 18th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The conference aims to educate Latinos and Latinas about their potential to succeed.
Si, Se Puede is an annual leadership conference founded in 2004 with the intent to supply Latinos and Latinas with the proper tools for academic success. Si, Se Puede, meaning “yes, you can,” is a conference centered around Latino empowerment.
“Si Se Puede is a Leadership Conference that is student run conference that is geared towards high school Latino students in order to provide them with the tools and resources to pursue a higher education,” president and head coordinator Ana Rangel said.
The tenth annual Si, Se Puede leadership conference will be held on Saturday, April 18 at UGA from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. According to Rangel, the goal of the conference is to educate students about their potential and motivate them to achieve high in school and life.
“There is an inevitable correlation between lack of education and a poor job selection which is very prominent in the Latino communities,” Rangel said. “Children fall behind between the cracks in society because they do not realize the potential and opportunity they have at doing something great with their life.”
To sign up for this event, students must fill out a spreadsheet which they can find on the announcements page. Rangel thinks that students should attend so that they can learn about their potential and be exposed to educational opportunities.
“It’s programs like “Si Se Puede” that create that exposure in which we, as an organization, are able to communicate how a higher education is very possible,” Rangel said. “The conference has workshops designated towards the specific grade levels in order to inform them about what pertains to them.”
However, the conference struggles with publicizing the event. Some students don’t know what it is, but say they’d be interested in going if they’d heard of it.
“I’ve never heard of it, yeah, (I would consider going) if I was free” freshman Victoria Gama said.
During this conference, students learn about Latino culture, art and activism. They are also taught the benefits of staying in school, and are provided with resources that aid in applying to college.
“We want to encourage as well as serve as role models,” Rangel said. “SLE (Students for Latin@ Empowerment) embodies the idea of “knowledge is power” because once the seed of opportunity is planted in their heads there is no stopping it.”
