Western Oregon University Will Host Third Cesar Chavez Leadership Institute

By Justin Much, Statesman Journal

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A guy who was regarded as a failure, even described as "a piece of garbage" by a high school teacher, will be the keynote speaker Friday when Western Oregon University (WOU) hosts the daylong Cesar Chavez Leadership Institute.

WOU expects more than 1,400 Latino student leaders from Oregon high schools to visit Friday, marking the third consecutive year WOU has hosted the event, which is financed by a $25,000 grant from the Educational Credit Management Corporation Foundation. Participants attend workshops on leadership, community engagement and college preparation, including meetings with college and university representatives.

Poet, writer and educator Carlos Ojeda Jr. will be the keynote speaker. A child of immigrant parents from Puerto Rico, Ojeda is said to have grown up with a vague understanding of his social, economic and cultural background, and many of his high school teachers reportedly told him he wouldn't amount to anything.

Ojeda exhorts on his Web site: "Don't ever, ever let anyone tell you who you are or who you will become because it's your destiny to feel, no one else's." Ojeda said he failed classes routinely in high school before turning his life around and becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college, which he did with honors.

"America needs to understand that the success of our country lies on the success of the Latino student population: We're the largest, fastest-growing minority in this country," Ojeda said.

Friday's event is largely geared toward inspiring Latino students with that understanding. "Educational opportunities are so important in bettering our young people's future," said March Kessler, executive director of ECMC Foundation. "We are honored to continue to partner with Western Oregon University and the many community leaders who organize this important event that recognizes and strengthens Oregon's Latino student leaders."

During the past four years, the number of Latino students at WOU has increased 50 percent.

"Effectively serving and educating Latino students is a core part of Western Oregon University's mission and daily work," WOU Associate Provost David McDonald said. "Hosting the Cesar Chavez Leadership Institute is important to the community and the university and is another way for us to support outstanding students and their families."