Thanks to seniors Leonardo Perez, Vanessa Rojas and members of the local MEChA chapter, Newberg High School hosted the Chicano student group’s state conference for the first time April 12.

MEChA stands for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, which translates to Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan — the lattermost word referring to the mythical homeland of the Aztecs.

The theme of the conference was “History, is to Know Ourselves, Hence Shapes our Future,” as Perez and Rojas hoped to inspire more than 100 visiting students from eight MEChA chapters in the greater Portland area.

“We wanted to educate other students on their history, how to be a leader and to get involved in the community, basically not to be afraid to show who they are, to embrace it,” Rojas said. “We just wanted them to know they had the potential to take a leadership role.”

The NHS chapter partnered with numerous organizations, including several MEChA chapters from local colleges and universities, Job Growers Inc., Mayday.org, the Rural Organizing Project and Bilingual Hire Inc., to put on 26 different seminars for conference goers.

Topics ranged from managing finances and the history of MEChA to social justice and civic engagement.

One of the most popular and well-received seminars was presented by Jonathan Fost of the Newberg Public Schools Welcome Center, who expounded on public speaking and leadership and also gave the welcome address for the conference.

Perez said he was especially proud of fellow NHS MEChA members Julia Martinez, Jose Antonio Saavedra, Rachel Rodriguez and Gabriella Aguilar, who served as emcees for the event despite having little to no experience speaking in front of large crowds.

The respect for Perez and Rojas, who organized the conference as their senior project, was mutual.

“I know they worked day and night to put this together,” Saavedra said. “They learned a lot about management skills and what it takes to put an event like this together. I know they learned to use their leadership skills and what it is to create a huge impact on other students. It was a beautiful experience for them.”

The MEChA statewide board of directors put together a college fair for the event, with Oregon State University, Linfield College, Portland Community College and Chemeketa Community College participating.

The conference program included an action item which focused on support of immigration reform or the recently introduced Oregon State Senate Bill 833, which would expand driver’s license privileges. Some students made signs for upcoming demonstrations, while others wrote more than 90 letters to lawmakers urging action on one of the two issues.

KUNP Univision Portland television reporter Enrique Caizero was the keynote speaker and recorded a segment on the conference that was later broadcast on the Spanish language network.

“He told us about his experience with his family, how he was able to overcome challenges, like language” Saavedra said. “English was not his first language, but he had to learn English to get where he wanted to be. A lot of kids got motivated.”

Representatives from Central Catholic High School attended the conference, reporting afterward that they were ecstatic and eager to establish a MEChA chapter of their own.

The event turned a $1,166 profit, part of which will go to the chapter’s scholarship fund for college bound members.

Rosa Olivares, who is the Latino Services coordinator at the Newberg Public Library, served as a mentor to Perez and Rojas and got feedback from conference participants that the event was informal and welcoming, yet surprisingly engaging and helpful.

“The kids did an extraordinary job,” Olivares said. “They carried the whole conference with professionalism and their organizational skills were exceptional as well.”

By Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic