2008 Woodie Awards
Students from around New England gather at NU for leadership conference
Michele Richinick
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: News
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The purpose of NELSLC is to initiate and encourage connections among Latino student college leaders within the New England region, according to a Northeastern press release. This year the conference focused on the empowerment of future Latino leaders in an increasingly global environment.
While making the closing remarks Friday, Rosa Rodriguez Williams, the director of the LSCC, said it was encouraging that black, white, Asian and Latino students were working together.
"Words cannot express how overjoyed I am at this very moment. We stand united," Williams said. "We will share many experiences. We will have similar stories as we leave here. We will leave re-energized and empowered to do amazing work on our campuses, to reach out to others and to collaborate."
Workshop sessions and panel discussions during the weekend showcased practical and progressive approaches to the development of leadership, according to organizers. More than 20 interactive workshops covered aspects of Latinos in higher education, including student organizations, leadership, social activism and life after college.
Northeastern President Joseph Aoun encouraged the attendees to differentiate themselves from their peers.
"You are going to face many challenges in the future," he said. "Yes, you are going to face rejections. Yes, you are going to face people saying 'We don't believe in diversity.' … The only way you can convince the world that this is going to be different is by you becoming role models."
The conference was founded by Brown University administrator Salvador Mena when he put together the first ever "Brown at Brown" NELSLC in 2003 to connect Latino college students with their school and home communities, according to the conference's website. The conference has also been held at Eastern Connecticut State University, Holy Cross College, Dartmouth College and Boston University.
Luz Mederos, president of the Latin American Student Association (LASO) and a volunteer at the conference, said she was proud to be a part of it.
"It was refreshing to see so many young student leaders," Mederos said. "There were a lot of younger students, like freshmen and sophomores, and I thought there would be a lot of seniors. There was a good diverse student body."
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