USHLI: Making
a Difference
September 10 Weekly Update
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Upcoming Dates
USHLI Regional Student Leadership
Conferences
Midwest
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
Chicago, IL
September 25-26, 2009
Northwest
Doubletree Hotel
Spokane, WA
October 2-3, 2009
Northeast
Holiday Inn - Newark Int'l Airport
Newark, NJ
October 9-10, 2009
Great Plains
Hilton President
Kansas City, MO
October 16-17, 2009
Southeast
Disney's Coronado
Springs Resort
Orlando, FL
November 6-7, 2009
Other USHLI Conferences
Latino Students en Marcha - Career and College Fair
St. Augustine College
Chicago, IL
October 22, 2009
Hacia Metas Mas Altas- Reaching for Higher Ground Conference
Purdue University Calumet
Hammond, IN
November 6, 2009
USHLI National Conference
Sheraton Chicago
Hotel & Towers
Chicago, IL
February 17-20, 2010
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| Video Services Provided By |
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Special Report: Latinas Have
Highest Dropout Rates |
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Latinas are dropping out of school at an alarming rate. Forty one percent do not graduate with their class in four years, if at all. Fifty three percent become pregnant by the age of 20. This is a huge problem for Latinas today and a bigger problem for Latino families in the years to come. Many Latina students face challenges related to poverty, immigration status, limited English proficiency, and damaging gender and ethnic stereotypes. The National Women's Law Center and MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) explores the causes of the dropout crisis for Latinas and identifies the actions needed to improve their graduation rates and get them ready for college in a recently published special report entitled, "Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation".
Click here for a copy of the report. |
| Midwest Student Leadership Conference Features Nationally Prominent Speakers |
The Midwest Student Leadership Conference will kick off our 2009 series of regional student leadership conferences. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick on September 25-26 in Chicago.
On Friday, September 25, the Conference will open with a College Recruitment Fair for high school students and college recruiters. The College Recruitment Fair will encourage students to stay in school and graduate, enable students to meet with recruiters representing vocational, technical and 4-year academic institutions, and include workshops on how to finance your post-secondary education or training. Our featured speaker will be Ernesto Mejia. Click here to download the agenda.
On Saturday, September 26, the Conference will provide advanced leadership skills development training, information on graduate school, exposure to career opportunities, and useful information on how to get involved in the 2010 Census. College scholarships will be awarded through a grant from the Verizon Foundation. Our featured speakers will be Roy Juarez, Jr., Martin Cabrera, and Dr. Antonia Pedroso. The early registration
deadline is September 18. Click here
to register. Click here to download the agenda.
Recruiters and students are urged to contact Isabel Reyes or Ricardo Lopez for more information on all USHLI-sponsored regional conferences. Both can be reached at 312-427-8683 or ireyes@ushli.org and rlopez@ushli.org, respectively. The dates and locations for all five conferences are listed in the column to the left.
USHLI is seeking sponsors for the 2009 series, which currently include the Verizon Foundation, Walt Disney World, AARP and Southwest Airlines. Potential sponsors needing additional information are urged to contact Tammy Deavours at 312-371-8683 or tdeavours@ushli.org.
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President Obama Shatters Old Record
on Latino Nominations |
 President Barack Obama's search for the best qualified people to nominate for positions in his administration has netted 43 Latino appointees, more than any previous president in history during the first year and reflects his indebtedness to the Hispanic community, whose support propelled him into the White House.
In announcing the record number of Latino appointees, White House spokesman Adam Adams said, "The president has made it a priority that his administration reflect America's great diversity" and "... the most conscious effort has been to appoint the best and most qualified candidates for each position."
The 43 Latino appointees have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate and represent 14% of all nominees confirmed to date (304), and include a Supreme Court Justice, two Cabinet Secretaries, and several sub-cabinet officials and ambassadors. The 43 appointees do not include the nearly 30 Latinos working in the White House in positions that do not require Senate confirmation.
Hispanics make up 15% of the U.S. population and about 8% of the overall federal workforce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Office of Personnel Management.
By comparison, at the end of their first year Bill Clinton had appointed 30 Latinos and George Bush had 34. The number of Latino appointees under Obama is expected to exceed 50 by the time the remaining 200 vacancies are filled.
Click here for a list of Latinos confirmed by the U.S. Senate to date.
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| Volunteers Needed for Regional Conferences |
 We are looking for volunteers for all USHLI Regional Student Leadership Conferences. The conferences will be held in Chicago IL, Spokane WA, Newark NJ, Kansas City MO, and Orlando FL. If you would like to
volunteer, please contact the USHLI office at 312-427-8683 for complete
details. |
| Thought for the Week |
"One of the secrets in life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks."
-- Jack Penn
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