Saint Martin's University hosts 7th Annual Latino Youth Summit

October 1, 2009

Lacey, Washington – Saint Martin's University will host the seventh annual Latino Youth Summit on Friday, October 16 in the Hal and Inge Marcus Pavilion. Other higher education institutions, including South Puget Sound Community College, The Evergreen State College, and Centralia College, have supported the Summit throughout its seven-year history.

The Latino Youth Summit, sponsored by The Hispanic Roundtable, will bring together 500 high school students from Thurston, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Grays Harbor counties for a wide variety of workshops, highlighted by keynote speaker and nationally known motivational speaker Guillermo "Willie" Lopez.

This year's theme, "Distintos Caminos ... Mismo Sueño / Different Paths … Same Dream" particularly stresses the importance of education in empowering today's Latino and Hispanic students and the message that there is no one path to success. The workshops will cover a multitude of topics, including applying for college and financial aid, youth-led media production, immigration, financial literacy, insights into specific careers such as trades, teaching, public safety and health care, and fostering healthy relationships. The event also will feature a workshop and performance from Mariachi Huenachi, Wenatchee High School's award-winning mariachi group. Formed in 1994 as a way to give Hispanic and Latino migrant students an activity that both promoted involvement in school and pride in their heritage, the group has performed across the state.

Students can register online at www.hispanicroundtable.org. Registration forms, full workshop descriptions and other documents can also be downloaded. Space is limited to the first 500 registrants. Unless full prior, registration will close on October 9.

Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year, Catholic, coeducational university located on a 380-acre wooded campus in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 18 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares students for successful lives through its 21 majors and six graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes 1,250 student from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its main campus, and 650 more to its five extension campuses located at Fort Lewis Army Post, McChord Air Force Base, Olympic College, Centralia College, and Tacoma Community College.

For additional information:

Jose L. Diaz
President The Hispanic Roundtable
hispanic@hispanicroundtable.org

Genevieve Canceko Chan
Director of Communications & Marketing
Saint Martin's University
360-438-4332
gchan@stmartin.edu