Juan Guzman
UNK Office of Multicultural Affairs director, 308.865.8127
More than 300 students are expected to attend the Third Annual Cultural Unity Conference April 1-2 at the University of Nebraska Kearney.
The purpose of the conference, which drew 325 students last year from Lexington, Kearney, Hastings, Gibbon, Shelton, Grand Island, Schuyler, Omaha and Garden City, Kan., is to promote cultural diversity in higher education, according to Juan Guzman, UNK
assistant director of Multicultural Affairs.
“Students from the Hispanic Student Association and Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity are responsible for planning and running the conference,” Guzman said. “These students have committed themselves to expanding the cultural diversity of our college campus through the organization of this conference.”
“The cultural diversity of our country is considered by many to be a great strength,” Guzman said. “Unfortunately, this diversity has not been reflected in our nation’s institutions of higher learning.”
“Through a series of workshops, meetings and discussions, we hope to recruit and inspire high school students from under-represented groups to consider and commit to a college or university-level education,” Guzman said. “We hope to convince these students that the obstacles to a college education can be overcome and that the struggle to attain that education is well worth the sacrifice.”
Dr. Joseph White and Richard Santana will be the keynote speakers at the conference. Dr. White, author and professor emeritus of psychology and psychiatry at the University of California at Irvine, is considered a pioneer in the field of Black psychology. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Michigan State University. Before pursuing higher education, Richard Santana was a third generation member of his family to join one of the largest gangs in California. He left that life, giving the credit to teachers and the education he received, and graduated from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Human Development and Psychology/Risk Prevention program.
The conference is open to all Hispanic high school students. For more information and to register, contact Juan Guzman at 308.865.8197 or guzmanj@unk.edu
