UKIAH, Calif. – The 30th annual Latino Student Retreat, sponsored by Mendocino College, will take place on Friday, May 4, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

The purpose of the Latino Student Retreat is to promote social and cultural awareness to high school students from Mendocino and Lake counties and it includes motivational speakers, workshops, entertainment and lunch.

The event has increased in popularity since its inception 30 years ago, and it continues to draw well-known and excellent Latino role models as presenters from educational, political, legal, business and artistic fields.

The theme for this year’s retreat is “Hecho en Mendo/Made in Mendo: Celebrating 30 Years of the Latino Student Retreat.”

Accomplished presenter Sam Blanco III will be sharing his cultural, educational and leadership experiences.

Blanco was born and raised in the Central Valley in the small agricultural town of Delano. He graduated from East Bakersfield High School and is the first from his family to attend a four-year university. He earned a degree in economics from U.C. Davis in 1992 and a master’s degree in educational administration from Sacramento State in 1999.  

Blanco has worked at U.C. Davis for the past 25 years, and currently is the associate director of Pre-College Programs, which includes Talent Search and Upward Bound.

In addition to demonstrated leadership on the U.C. Davis campus, Blanco has been very engaged in the larger Woodland community including serving as a PTA president and a member of the school site council. This experience led to his successful campaign to join the Woodland Joint Unified School District as a school board trustee for four years.

Blanco has also served in leadership roles regionally in the state as a member and officer of the Northern California Chapter of the Western Association for Educational Opportunity Professionals and now serves as the WESTOP president.

He is a proud father of two daughters and has been married to his wife Pam for 16 years.

The college anticipates more than 300 students from grades ninth through 12th will be in attendance accompanied by their teachers, counselors and chaperones.

The following schools have been invited: Accelerated Achievement Academy, Clear Lake, Fort Bragg, Kelseyville, Lower Lake, Middletown, Point Arena, Potter Valley, Redwood Academy, South Valley, Ukiah and Willits.

For questions about the Latino Student Retreat, please call Monica Flores at 707-467-1008.

The Mendocino College Ukiah campus is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road in Ukiah. Visit the college online at www.mendocino.edu.