Oakland University to host 2025 ALSAME Latino Youth Conference

Oakland University will host the 2025 Advocates for Latino Student Advancement in Michigan Education (ALSAME) Latino Youth Conference from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, May 9. The event is expected to bring more than 400 students from high schools across the state to Oakland’s campus. 

Dedicated to helping Latinx youth pursue higher education, the conference will feature workshops and panels led by OU faculty, professional organizations, industry executives, presentations by corporate sponsors, a college fair featuring 24 institutions of higher education, and tips for success from OU’s Center for Multicultural Initiatives, Office of Admissions, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, and Employee Resource Groups. In addition to featuring a keynote speaker, the conference serves as the venue to award the 2025 ALSAME Scholarship recipients.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Poppy Hernandez, who in 2020 was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer as the first-ever chief equity and inclusion officer in the Executive Office of the Governor. Hernandez also serves as the executive director of the Office of Global Michigan and is a commissioner on the USDA Equity Commission. For more than 20 years, she has been a leader in strategic change management at the intersection of public health, education, workforce development, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Hosting the conference gives OU the opportunity to showcase the university as a higher education destination for the Latinx community, which makes up nine percent of K-12 students and 22% percent of college students in Michigan.  Moreover, OU continues to facilitate strategies to close the degree completion gap between Latinx students and their peers, serve as a bridge between Latinx youth and Latinx leaders, and advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.  

“Here at OU, we are thrilled to host the ALSAME conference this year. It is inspiring to see the work of the ALSAME board members and their sponsors who advocate and provide support to Latinx students and their families from across Michigan,” said Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Elaine Carey. “We plan to continue to work with ALSAME and be part of the conference in the future.”

The continued partnership between the Provost's office, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was the impetus for OU’s selection as the host institution for the 2025 ALSAME Latino Youth Conference. The conference theme, “If You Can See It, You Can Be It - Representando Sueños,” is a testament to the importance of representation in all spaces and industries.

Co-chaired by Dr. Vanessa Reynolds and Salvador Lopez, ALSAME is a nonprofit organization invested in enhancing college education accessibility for Michigan Latino students. ALSAME’s annual Latino Youth Conference aims to offer information to Latinx high school students to enhance academic success, promote higher education and help with career planning.

For more information on this year’s conference, visit alsame.org/2025-conference.