SOUTHEAST AREA : Fair Outlines ABCs of College Entrance

More than 500 high school students hoping to attend college got a boost last weekend at the first Southeast College Conference at South Gate High School.

The conference was organized to encourage Latino students to seek higher education and to help make the sometimes daunting school and financial aid applications a little less confusing.

“The college fair made me see how many choices I really do have,” said Erica Uribe, 17, a South Gate High senior who hopes to be the first in her family to attend college. “I thought the only help I could get was financial aid. My dad doesn’t make much money, and we’re a large family. They told us about special scholarships and loans and how to apply for financial packages based on your need.”

Students and parents at the Oct. 2 conference had an opportunity to meet with representatives from 24 California colleges and universities, said Sylvia Hernandez, education deputy to Assemblywoman Martha Escutia (D-Huntington Park), sponsor of the event.

Students also attended seminars on how to fill out college entrance applications, surviving the first year of school, and other topics. Parents attended bilingual workshops designed to help them understand their role in preparing their children for college, and were briefed on the importance of filing tax returns, signing college forms and submitting application fees.

“I think we really have to pay attention to the cultural barriers in our community,” Escutia said. “Some of our parents may feel that if they only went to the sixth grade and are doing fine, then that’s fine for Johnny and Susie. Or worse, that Susie only has to get married so she doesn’t need to go to college.”

Dorothy Patrick, college counselor for South Gate High, said the conference gave students critical access to college representatives and offered key advice to low-income families looking for ways to fund school costs.

“When you say college and someone says $17,000, you choke,” she said.

“That’s especially difficult for first-generation (American) families who may not have had someone go to college and haven’t dealt with that idea before.”

Escutia also is establishing a scholarship program to help cover the cost of books and tuition.

“Now students have more sense of reality of what college is,” said Araceli Manzo, a 17-year-old South Gate High senior who wants to be a doctor.

“My parents were really stunned by (the conference). Now they are like, ‘Go for it. We’ll help you as much as we can.’ ”

Information: (213) 582-7774.