Conference on Hispanic HS Student Needs Nov. 7

  • October 28, 2008

The needs of Hispanic high school students in Contra Costa County will be the focus of the eighth annual "Narrowing the Gap" Educational Conference from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7 on the Concord Campus of California State University, East Bay, 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road.

The conference, which will provide a platform for professionals to address the issues affecting the Latino high school drop-out rate, is sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Contra Costa County (H5C), a leading advocate for Hispanic-owned businesses in the county. Edgar "Shoboy" Sotelo, an on-air personality for La Kalle and Univision radio in the Bay Area, will be a featured participant at the conference.

"We are very pleased to once again provide this vehicle for students," said Eric Maldonado, H5C board president. "As successful working professionals, we serve as role models to many of our underserved students in the community as well as provide first hand information on how to enter college, access to financial aid and scholarships. H5C believes in investing time and resources in our Latino students, as they are the next leaders and entrepreneurs in our community."

More than 400 students and community members are expected to attend the conference, which is co-sponsored by Cal State East Bay; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; John Muir Health; Shell, Inc.; Wells Fargo; Kaiser Permanente; AT&T; Travis Credit Union; and state Assemblymember Mark DeSaulnier.

Additional information on the conference is available at .