The Latino Youth Summit at The University of Toledo will bring nearly 400 high school students to campus on Tuesday, March 12.
The event, now in its 21st year, provides an opportunity for ninth through 12th grade students from across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan to interact with faculty, staff and current UToledo students while at the same time celebrating Latino culture.
“This summit is a great way for us to showcase our campus and what we have to offer students as they start thinking about college, but it’s also about instilling a sense of pride in Latino culture,” said Aleiah Jones, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Success. “We want all our attendees to gain a better appreciation of the Latino experience and hopefully begin envisioning themselves as future Rockets.”
This year’s event is expected to be the largest since the University changed the summit’s format to exclusively host high school students.
Students will participate in a combination of hands-on experiences and educational presentations aimed at showing them the possibilities available through UToledo.
“As a previous President’s Summit Award scholarship recipient and attendee of the Latino Youth Summit, it is an honor to plan the event as an admission professional and create connections with incoming students,” said Lexi Alvarado, senior admission counselor of the Office of Undergraduate Admission. “Instilling culture early on establishes a sense of security and a place to call home here on campus. We are excited to see the impact this event continues to create for our students and within the Latino community here in Toledo.”
All attendees will attend a campus resource fair where they can meet with representatives from UToledo’s academic colleges, student support services and several community nonprofits. They’ll also sit in on a panel discussion with current UToledo students to learn more about campus life and the student experience at UToledo.
Following the student panel, attendees will separate by grade level for educational experiences.
Ninth grade students will see a presentation at the Ritter Planetarium. Tenth graders will participate in a pair of activities hosted by the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation and the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Eleventh graders will hear a presentation from undergraduate admissions and go on a tour of Main Campus. And 12th graders will hear from current UToledo students about the transition from high school to college.
The event also features a lunchtime performance by El Corazon de Mexico Ballet Folklorico, a Toledo-based dance group.
Students who attend the event are encouraged to apply for the President’s Summit Award, which is worth $2,000 for four years and includes free on-campus housing in the student’s first year. Ten President’s Summit Award scholarships are available.
