Bellevue hosts fourth annual El Camino Latino Conference

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Bellevue University is working keep future workers in the heartland. The university held the fourth annual El Camino Latino Conference that is aimed at connecting high schoolers with some of Omaha’s biggest employers and colleges.

The conference is designed for Latinos but is open to any high school junior or senior.

Students had a chance to connect with professionals from several companies including Mutual of Omaha and CHI Health, and with local universities and colleges.

High school junior Karela Zavala knows what she wants to do when she grows up.

“I want to be an ultrasound tech.,” Zavala said.

However, she doesn’t know what she needs to do to become one. So, she came to the conference looking for answers.

“I just want to see if any colleges have anything available for me,” Zavala said.

Zavala believes she’s found one. She said she connected with the University of Nebraska, Kearney.

“I feel like I might go there,” she said.

Zavala was one of about 150 students from 10 Nebraska high schools who attended the conference.

“I want students to be prepared when they graduate from high school and college to be able to go and work for the company they know most about.” said Gina Ponce, the Director of Bellevue University’s El Camino Latino Center.

Ponce says the conference is a win-win for both students and employers looking for workers, especially those who speak English and Spanish.

“I get phone calls all the time from companies that say, ‘Gina I’m looking for someone that speaks bilingual, we have three positions open, four positions open,’” Ponce said. “So, I want to prepare those students to apply for those positions and I want them to be polished. I want them to know about the company.”

Ponce says the conference helps keep local talent in the Heartland.

“A lot of these students want to get their degrees and I would say that the majority of them want to go back to their communities and help their communities do the same thing they just got done doing,” said Ponce.

That’s what Zavala hopes to do.

“It feels amazing to finally find my answers,” Zavala said. “I can finally figure out what college I want to go into.”

Benito Espinosa is a junior at Omaha South High School. He came to the conference looking for guidance.

“I know I do want to do something in the health and sciences field,” Espinosa said. “Something medical because I like helping.”

Espinosa says he found clarity at the conference.

“I think the one thing I’m really going to take away from this is the thing they talked about with the mentors, and trying to get mentors to help you go through things and how to get people who tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear,” he said.

Some students also walked away with scholarships. UNK awarded a $24,000 scholarship for four years of room and board.

Other colleges also awarded five $1,000 scholarships to students who applied.

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