Conference Planned for Latino Students

Catherine Campos, the ninth-grade class president at Sepulveda Junior High School, hopes to beef up her leadership and public speaking skills when she attends a conference for 240 Latino middle school students from across the San Fernando Valley on Saturday.

“It gives you so much confidence,” said Catherine, who learned about parliamentary procedures during a similar conference last year.

The conference at Porter Junior High School in Granada Hills is co-sponsored by the San Fernando Valley chapter of Future Leaders of America, a nonprofit organization that encourages Latino students to become student leaders, volunteer in their communities and finish school. The organization also sponsors a weeklong conference for about 45 students every summer at a Santa Barbara camp, which Catherine attended last year.

Sylvia Guzman, who serves as the chapter’s regional director with her husband, Carlos, said the one-day event will feature workshops on assertiveness, self-esteem and goal-setting, all aimed at molding students into potential school and community leaders.