BOWLING GREEN, O.—The Latino Issues Conference at Bowling Green State University will focus on “the positive reality of Latinos in education,” says organizer Dr. Ruben Viramontez Anguiano, an associate professor of family and consumer sciences. The 15th annual conference, one of the longest running in the Midwest, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in 101 Olscamp Hall, and will include faculty and students from BGSU as well as area high school students.

The keynote address, on “Latinos in Education: Positioning for the Future,” will be delivered by Dr. Rosita Lopez, a professor of education at Northern Illinois University who has published widely on the conference theme. A certified bilingual educator, Lopez has teaching experience at the elementary, undergraduate and graduate levels. She is a former program coordinator for the Office of Equal Educational Opportunities and was the director of Training for Reform Implementation in Chicago. A high school dropout, Lopez resumed her education and eventually earned a Ph.D. from Northern Illinois.

“We really want students to come, and especially to hear the message of our keynote speaker. She’s a role model for everyone,” Anguiano said. “We as Latinos still have a lot of challenges but we’ve made a lot of progress, both individually and across the board.”

Session topics include preschool through 12th-grade education, the higher education pipeline, language and identity, and schools and communities. Each session will feature a presentation of the undergraduate student perspective as well as a faculty moderator. Participants also include Latino professionals and representatives of area organizations.

“We have a special emphasis on practitioners among our presenters this year,” Anguiano said.

The conference is free and open to everyone. The noon lunch buffet is $9; call the Center for Multicultural and Academic Initiatives (CMAI) at 419-372-2642 to make a reservation.

Sponsors for the event include the College of Education and Human Development, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the romance languages department, the School of Family and Consumer Sciences and the BGSU Human Relations Commission.

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