Latinx Student Empowerment Conference

By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

Hi, all!

I hope these first three weeks have been going well for you all and I wish you the best throughout the next several weeks!

I wanted to write this post about a great experience I had this past weekend with El Centro Chicano.

This past Sunday, on January 21st, 2018, I went to El Centro Chicano’s Latinx Student Empowerment Conference.

This conference aimed to support the research, academic success, and social justice activism of USC students. Conferences such as these, and the overall organization, are open to current USC students - both undergraduate and graduate - and welcome new spring admits! They welcome & encourage USC Alumni to attend these conferences!

And if I’m being completely honest…

It was the best thing I have ever attended.

The conference started off with a special guest speaker, Cristela Alonzo, comedian, actress, writer, and overall amazing human being. 

Here is a picture of Cristela and me!

I honestly was so fascinated and deeply moved by Cristela’s story of poverty, struggle, and endurance.

In an interview with me, Cristela spoke about a culture shock in the film industry and assumptions about her nationality (she is Mexican-American, and many would confuse her nationality with that of Puerto-Rico + Cuba). She stated that she had to teach people in her field about different nationalities and cultures. When I asked about challenges in her life, she believed that having people believe in her history was a challenge. It’s unfortunate that some of us have to overcome this - people not understanding our background, our stories, ourselves. Though it may not be who we are completely, it is a part of us. Cristela believes in telling her story to speak up for those who cannot speak and to those who might relate. She said she had to tell herself that she could do whatever she set her mind to. Her ultimate goal when speaking for people is to stray from the pedestrian, “you are powerful” – she wants to speak on how to use that power to fight oppression (in whichever aspect one may have).

While speaking to her was a great experience, the workshops provided during this conference were also a part of this wonderful conference.

Here is a list of some of the panels/activities that this conference held:

• Latinx Caregiving
• Included Graduate Students who highlighted the needs of family caregivers, recognized instances of caregiver burden, and offered ways to reduce the “burden”.
  

• Latinx Students + School Cultures
• Addressed the challenges of creating a Spanish for Heritage Speakers course at USC.

• Internships
• Laura Dominguez, an Undergraduate student spoke about the challenges she overcame as a transfer student at USC. The workshop included many of her tips and strategies that helped her along the way with many internships (this includes: resumes/CVs, career fair etiquette, pay-negotiation for part-time internships, and so much more advice).

• Cosas Del Amor
• A graduate student, Richard Aviles, hosted a workshop on engaging participants to think about their identities, use their backgrounds to strengthen power, and focus on self-love!
  
• Dreamers Panel by USC IDEAS
• A group of students who represented USC IDEAS and spoke about their personal experience with their undocumented status and how that has impacted this student career at USC. And allies spoke about their initiatives to participate in making a positive impact.
  
• Financial Literacy
• Jason Valle, a financial advisor at LPL Financial Group spoke to the audience about his experience as a financial advisor and offered advice/knowledge about financial literacy.
  
• Closing Keynote by Dr. Kristan Venegas
• USC professor of Clinical Education, Dr. Kristan Venegas presented research on financial aid and college access for low-income students of color.

There were so many other resourceful activities + panels that I could not attend, but I am sure that they were all just as great as these listed above!

It’s unfortunate that El Centro Chicano, as well as many other helpful organizations/clubs, aren’t spoken about enough! I hope to return to another conference or just to hang out at El Centro Chicano (located STU 402).

Special Thanks to: El Centro Chicano, USC Latinx Student Assembly (LSA), USC American Studies & Ethnicity (ASE), USC Sociology, Center For The Study of Immigrant Integration [CSII], the USC Latino/a Graduate Student Association (LGSA) & USC School of Rossier, and USC Career Center.

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