Latino Role Models is a FREE conference for Santa Cruz County students from grade 6 to college and their families. LRM features Latino professionals and college students. The conference is conducted in Spanish with English translation.
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO ATTEND
2024 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Keynote speaker Jaime Cortez is a writer and visual artist based in Watsonville and the San Francisco Bay Area. His fiction, essays, and drawings have appeared in diverse publications. Cortez often combines humor and tragedy to tell stories of resilient survivors who exist on the margins of the economy, the law, and social acceptability. Jaime's debut collection of short stories Gordo was published in 2021 to critical acclaim. Gordo is a work of semi-autobiographical fiction set in farm worker camps and farm towns near Watsonville, California in the 1970s and is appropriate for adult and young adult readers aged 14 and up.
Cortez spent his early years in San Juan Bautista and Watsonville where he attended public schools and graduated from Watsonville High School. He received his B.A. in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania, and his fine art MFA at UC Berkeley. Jaime was the first in his family to graduate from college and is excited to share his story at the 2024 Latino Role Models Conference.
His website is jaimecortez.org.
Mistress of Ceremonies – Erandi Escareño
Erandi Escareño, originally from Morelia, Mexico, has worked in various media outlets in Mexico and the United States, such as: TV Azteca Michoacán, Univision 67 and Telemundo 48 in the Bay Area. She has won the Emmy Award for excellence in news, among other distinctions. Erandi is the founder of a non-profit organization called Juntos Podemos whose mission is to inform and educate the Spanish-speaking population about public health and safety. She currently works for the Hospice Giving Foundation in Monterey, California. When she’s not working, Erandi likes to walk on the beach, hike, and plan the next adventure with her family.
Recent Speakers at Latino Role Models
- Executive Director of CLF Olga Talamante & Artist Juan R. Fuentes – 2023
- Activist Dolores Huerta – 2022
- Professor Manuel Pastor – 2021
- Author Reyna Grande – 2020
- Astronaut Jose M. Hernandez – 2019
