Hundreds attend Latino Student Success Conference at Clovis North High School

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With a little flavor and upbeat music, Clovis High's marimba welcomed hundreds of students to the annual Clovis Unified Latino Student Success Conference on Monday.

"By doing this conference we're hopefully opening the eyes to our students that there is a lot of opportunity out there," said conference organizer Richard Delgado.

All five of the high schools in the district brought 150 students each to the Clovis North campus, where they listened to community members share their journeys.

"I love hearing the stories of the mentors, seeing where they came from, and knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone no matter where you come from, like they're really successful right now in their lives," said Clovis West student Ysenia Tello.

Tello has attended the conference for two years. The senior says she will be the first in her family to attend college this fall and was able to learn from others.

Dozens of speakers were on hand to share their life stories and give insight into their professions. I had the chance to give high school students an inside look at what it's like to be a television reporter. Our own reporter Rick Montanez shared his educational experience with others.

While these students all attend different high schools, they say they felt a sense of community and encouragement.

"Sometimes I actually feel like I can't do it because of my average grades, but being here today actually helped me out a lot, and it's going to push me to work harder, and that's just what I came here for is to get motivated to work harder in my life," said Clovis West student Priscilla Regalado.

This is the second annual districtwide conference. Organizers hope the event will give these students the tools they need to succeed.