Date:
10/12/2007
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
Reporter: Roma Vivas
PORTALES—Eastern New Mexico University will host the third annual Latino Leadership Summit on Friday, Oct. 26, in the Campus Union Building Ballroom on the Portales campus. According to the Leadership website, one of the purposes is “to provide Latino students and other members of the community with knowledge of social, political and cultures issues that affect the Latino community.” Several hundred high school students are expected to attend.
The day’s events will include three highly recognized and powerful speakers, a lunch, and live entertainment.
Tommy Vallejos will be the first speaker. Currently, he serves as an associate pastor for a 2,000-member church in Clarkville, Tenn. Vallejos is also the Director of Hispanic Organizations for Progress and Education (HOPE). As a community leader and activist, he has traveled throughout the country supporting and educating leaders and members of the Hispanic community.
The second speaker will be Mirna Torres, Director of Legalization for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). CLINIC, a subsidiary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), is a public interest legal corporation that represents low-income immigrants and supports a network of 161 charitable legal immigration programs.
The third speaker will be Freddie Romero, the first Hispanic to be appointed a District Judge in southeastern New Mexico
The summit will also include a cultural presentation displaying traditional Latino culture, allowing both students and guests to be educated and entertained. The day will also include a financial aid workshop conducted in both Spanish and English to help students prepare for college admittance.
Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity and Eastern New Mexico University invite anyone interested to attend the summit. For more information, go to www.latinoleadershipsummit.com or call Diego Espinoza at 505.980.7510.