The HACU Youth Leadership Fair, scheduled from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. October 25 at the King Center at the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, will engage educators, role models and high school students from throughout Colorado as a pre-conference activity of HACU’s 16th Annual Conference in Denver October 26-29.

The HACU Youth Leadership Fair will invite 400 students from 12 Denver area high schools to the Auraria Campus for a series of special sessions on topics ranging from college financial aid to personal leadership development. The Auraria Campus is home to three Colorado higher education institutions: Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver and the University of Colorado at Denver.

Sponsored by State Farm Insurance Companies, the HACU Youth Leadership Fair also will be broadcast to Colorado’s Pueblo Community College, Otero Junior College and Trinidad State Junior College to reach high school students statewide.

Successful Latino role models from health, education, science, technology, law and law enforcement professions in Colorado will address the students. Students also will hear about how to overcome financial aid barriers and other challenges from representatives of Metropolitan State College of Denver, the Daniels Fund, the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Colorado at Denver, University of Colorado at Boulder, Community College of Denver, Arapahoe Community College and Mesa State College.

“As the nation’s leading voice for Hispanic higher education, HACU also is committed to actively engaging pre-collegiate students in our efforts to promote college access, equity and success for the nation’s youngest and largest minority population,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio Flores, who will address the students at the start of the day’s events.

“Colorado’s college, corporate and philanthropic communities are to be commended for their outstanding commitment to the college and career success of their young people – the future of Colorado,” Flores said. “We gratefully acknowledge the support of State Farm Insurance Companies, a company with a longstanding commitment to higher education success for Hispanic Americans and for all Americans.”

Unlike traditional pre-collegiate leadership development fairs inviting only highest-achieving students, the HACU Leadership Fair also is focusing on minority and other disadvantaged students who are most likely to become the first in their family to attend college.

“This is not limited to top performing students,” said Community College of Denver President Christine Johnson. “At the Community College of Denver, we are recognized for our inclusiveness. We take great pride in, and we’re known for, the students we let in – not for those we weed out.”

With a 58 percent minority student enrollment, the Community College of Denver has the most diverse student population of any higher education institution in Colorado.

For the country’s Hispanic students, who as a group suffer historically low high school and college completion rates, overcoming such barriers has become a national priority at a time when one of every three new workers joining the U.S. work force is Hispanic. The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans has declared pre-collegiate outreach a critical ingredient in efforts to increase Hispanic college graduation rates.

“Every major study on this subject confirms the importance of pre-collegiate preparation and support systems that include rigorous coursework, mentoring, role models, and solid information about available college financial aid and on-campus support networks, which can make college an achievable goal for students in the Hispanic community,” said Rene Gonzalez, HACU Director of Program Collaboratives.

“The HACU Youth Leadership Fair will provide Colorado high school students a unique, one-stop shopping setting for expert advice, encouragement and information to translate a high school diploma into a college degree and a rewarding future,” Gonzalez said.

Encouraging cultural awareness is the goal of a special, interactive “Latino Jeopardy” contest that will take place at the HACU Youth Leadership Fair. Patterned after the popular television game show Jeopardy, this competition will focus on matching answers to questions relative to Hispanic culture.

“We want this to be fun for the students, but also educational and to really target their culture,” said Yolanda Ortega-Ericksen, Vice President for Student Services at Metropolitan State College of Denver.

The HACU Youth Leadership Development Fair was developed by Metropolitan State College of Denver, the Mayor’s Office of Denver for Workforce Development, the Latin American Education Fund (LAEF), Community College of Denver, HACU and The Denver Public Schools.

HACU represents more than 330 member and partner colleges and universities serving the largest concentrations of Hispanic higher education students in the United States. HACU’s 16th Annual Conference is scheduled Oct. 26-29 at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in downtown Denver.

For more information, contact Rene Gonzalez, HACU Director of Program Collaboratives, at (210) 692-3805. Ext. 3223. Or visit www.hacu.net.