Richard L. Graves Middle School students attended the Adelante Young Men Conference this past Saturday at Pasadena City College to learn from Latino professionals through workshops about education, financial aid, careers, and personal development.
The conference is intended for middle school and high school boys. It’s held annually and features representatives from colleges and universities, corporate and government employers, and community organizations. Aside from student assistance they also offer workshops designed for Spanish language parents.
Dr. Fraijo, principal of Graves Middle School, was able to attend this years event and stated, ”Our boys had an opportunity to see professional Hispanic males and hear about the steps they took to become college educated and successful.”
Each speaker is a positive male role-model that shares about their own education and professional journey. The attendees of the conference have the ability to choose three 60 minute workshops that interest them to attend. In these workshops the speakers give real life scenarios that encourage positive decision making.
The Adelante Young Men Conference states that their purpose is to, “provide boys/young men with tools for personal and professional growth, challenge them to raise their expectations, promote leadership and encourage them to pursue a post-high school education, so that they may achieve their goals and have a positive impact on their lives and the lives of others.”
This year was the first year that Richard L. Graves Middle School students attended, and Dr. Fraijo stated that this is an event that they look forward to attending again in the future.