Santa Maria High School students took a recent field trip to Los Angeles to engage in dialogue about academic, cultural, and social issues during the MEChA de UCLA Raza Youth Conference.
The annual event, put on by Chicano and Latino UCLA students, attracted more than 1,000 high school students from throughout the state, according to a press release from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
Santa Maria students from the CE’ENI and Las Comadres school clubs attended several workshops that featured topics including financial aid, art, culture, identity, and social justice. They also participated in the UCLA People of Color Tour, which highlighted significant events, buildings, and monuments pertaining to the struggle of students of color on campus.
“Everything was inspirational to me,” said senior Adela Lopez, a Las Comadres member. “It made me realize so many things and to be proud of who I am, not only as a woman, but as a Chicana. I’d say that now I am more proud to be a person of color and that I should never be ashamed of that.”
This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2015.