Latino high schoolers get glimpse at U.

The first-annual Latino Recruitment Program last year changed Evelyn Lafontaine's life. "It was the first Latino recruitment conference that made all the difference from all the other colleges," Lafontaine said. "It's why I came here." The second conference, held this weekend, attracted about 35 high school juniors and seniors from around the country. The event was sponsored by the University Admissions Office and two Latino student groups. The weekend consists of informational and social events designed to give Latino visitors an all-around view of the University. The prospective applicants, who stayed with current Latino students, attended panel discussions, a dance and a Puerto Rican dinner. In addition, the program was aimed at exposing the students to their own culture on campus, said College sophomore Elizabeth Cedillo, who helped organize this year's conference. "They're starting to see that they can make it here, and that is the point of the program," Cedillo said. The number of Latino students in this year's freshman class rose to 117 from 100 last year. Cedillo said some of those students attended the recruitment program, but admissions officials are unsure of the exact number. Several program participants said the weekend's conference convinced them to apply here, adding that they saw aspects of the University by which they were pleasantly surprised. Many also said they plan to attend if accepted. And Karen Velazquez, a senior from New York, said she enjoyed the program because "it made me feel proud to be a Latino student." She added that the University is her "dream school" and said the student hosts made her realize that Latinos on campus have a very close-knit community. Velazquez said that the program reversed ideas about the University which high school advisers give to Latino students. She said that counselors discourage her and other participants from applying here because "they think we can't make the grade here."

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