The Fourth High School MEChA Conference

On November 30, 2001 approximately 150 area High School students came to Cal State San Marcos at the invitation of the CSUSM MEChA club to learn more about college life and how to get into college. The 4th annual MEChA conference, dedicated to those innocent people who lost their lives during the September 11th attacks and to those that have died crossing the border, proved to be very successful and their biggest conference to date. Participants enjoyed presentations on Raza Educators, the history of the Chicano movement, Cesar Chavez, Zapatistas, and the Aztec Culture. The conference, a tradition of the MEChA organization has become a popular event that both students and advisors look forward to.
The CSUSM MEChA group is committed to spreading the word among Latino youth in the Chicano community that ,"education is the key that will open many doors and create numerous opportunities." The Latino students involved are mostly from area high schools who participated as MEChA and AVID students when they were in high school. The conference is one way the students have found to "give back" to the community as they successfully complete their college careers. They are interested in inspiring Latino youth to prepare themselves in high school for opportunities in higher education as a way to expand their options as they contemplate completing high school.
As a part of the MEChA message, according to Izabel Solis, MEChA President, "WE as university students have the responsibility of helping our community in any possible way, and bringing more raza into the university is a way of accomplishing that responsibility. Through higher education we increase our abiity and capacity to assist and defend our community with dignity against oppressive systems of social and economic injustice."
In support of the event, the College of Education faculty (Juan Necochea, Patti Pettigrew, Eileen Oliver, Zee Cline) presented two times on the topic of "Raza Educators," in an effort to encourage Latino youth to select education as a career. The focus of the presentation was to impress upon the students that education is one way to make a difference and give back to the community.
As one of the conference participants commented via email,
"Hello!! I just wanted to tell you guys that I really enjoy the youth conference. I think it was very fun and interesting. I'm from San Marcos High and I just wanted to tell you that I learned a lot of the history of Mexico.Thanks, I really had a good time."--

Zulmara Cline, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
California State University
San Marcos, CA 92096