The Santa Monica College Latino Center is proud to announce its 20th Annual Latina/o Youth Conference Saturday, March 21, and is currently accepting registrations.

The keynote speaker will be Mr. Alfred R. Herrera, Assistant Vice-Provost for Academic Partnerships and the Director of the UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships in the Division of Undergraduate Education at UCLA.

The Latina/o Youth Conference was developed to help young Latinas and Latinos make sound and sensible decisions that promote a positive and brighter future for overall well-being, said Maria Martinez, SMC Latino Center program leader.

The conference - which will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. - is open to Latino and Latina high school students. Slated for the day will be workshops, Career & College Expo, peer panel discussions, speakers, food and entertainment.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. at SMC. Breakfast will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at John Adams Middle School, located at 17th and Pearl streets in Santa Monica across the street from SMC. The keynote speaker will deliver his address from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at John Adams Middle School Auditorium. The remainder of the day's activities will be on the SMC main campus.

At the expo, attendees will have the opportunity to speak to representatives from several colleges and universities - including UCLA, University of California at Santa Cruz, SMC and more - as well as to Latinos and Latinas in a wide variety of professions.

The conference attracts as many as 600 attendees each year.

For pre-registration and information, call (310) 434-8520 or visit us at www.smc.edu/latinayouthconference.