28th Annual SCOLA Conference Planned For March 4-6

The Memorial Student Center Committee for the Awareness of Mexican American Culture (MSC CAMAC) at Texas A&M University will host its 28th Annual Student Conference on Latino Affairs (SCOLA) March 4-6.

SCOLA is a three-day conference in which participants have the opportunity to hear from and interact with a wide array of speakers, including national and state government officials, business leaders and media representatives.

“From the Roots Up: Authenticity and Professionalism” has been selected as the theme for SCOLA 2016, says Jennifer Rangel, this year’s conference director.

“We will explore how one can grow as an individual and a professional while maintaining and fostering one’s identity and culture,” Rangel adds.

“The goal of the conference theme is to present the delegates with various methods to effectively reflect an authentic image in order to be able to prosper during interviews, the work field and when networking with professionals and peers while remaining true to their roots.”

Speakers for this year’s conference include Dr. Elsa Murano, first female and first Latina to serve as president of Texas A&M; Simon Silva, Latino artist and advocate for creative thinking; Lionel Sosa, advertising and marketing executive who served as the marketing adviser during the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush campaigns; Adan Gonzalez, young entrepreneur and founder of the Si Se Puede! Network; and Michael Reyes, poet, hip-hop artist and youth activist organizer. For more on the speakers, visit the SCOLA prezi.

The students on the planning committee for SCOLA say their mission is to provide a forum for students to discuss significant issues that impact the Latino community and to foster exemplary leadership development among its members. “It is our belief that the interaction, discussion and enlightenment fostered by the conference effectively create a stimulating educational and life-changing experience,” they say.

This year will also include a Professional Institute, led by Air Force veteran, author and engineer Graciela Tiscareño-Sato. The Professional Institute will help delegates develop and rehearse a variety of elevator speeches. The first 200 delegates to register will also be given copies of Tiscareño-Sato’s book, “Latinnovating: Green American Jobs and the Latinos Creating Them.”