Members of Comision Femenil of the San Fernando Valley at the 2015 Annual Adelante Mujer Latina Career Conference.

More than 500 Latina high school students will learn about leadership development, cultural empowerment and pathways to college, at the 25th annual Adelante Mujer Latina Career Conference (AMLCC) on Saturday, March 17, at California State University, Northridge.

The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the University Student Union’s Northridge Center, located at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

The conference is organized by the Comisión Femenil of the San Fernando Valley (CFSFV) — a nonprofit volunteer-service organization dedicated to improving Latinas through education, leadership development and community involvement. The conference is supported by the Los Angeles Unified School District and CSUN.

“[Comisión Femenil of the San Fernando Valley] tries to put together a diverse group of professional Latina leaders to engage students,” said Francesca Vega, CSUN director of government and community relations. “There are limited opportunities for young women from traditionally underserved communities. They do not always have this kind of experience at a college campus, with a day that includes exposure to college culture, career opportunities and leadership development.

“Whether the speakers are engineers, attorneys or deans, many of the students are seeing Latinas in these positions for the first time,” continued Vega. “There is no better place to have this gathering than at one of the largest and most diverse universities in the state.”

A campus welcome from Vega will kick off the conference. Keynote speaker Dr. Alma Lopez from Kaiser Permanente will share her adolescent AMLCC experience and how it inspired her to pursue medicine.

Lopez, a recipient of the Dr. Karin Duran Memorial Youth Scholarship, serves as a role model for the impact that the conference can have on young Latinas in the community, said Blanca Eliopulso, Adelante Mujer Latina co-chair.

During the conference, students will have the opportunity to attend 14 workshops and a career fair led by Latina professionals in various industries, including broadcast journalism, dental, education, engineering, law, entertainment, law enforcement, graphic design and technology, medicine, nursing, psychology and  social work, as well as workshops on financial aid and pathways to college.

Participating high schools include: Panorama High School, Sun Valley Magnet School, Social Justice Humanitas Academy, James Monroe High School, Grant High School, Technology Preparatory Academy, North Hollywood High School, Verdugo Hills High School, Academy of Scientific Exploration, Birmingham Community Charter High School, Sylmar Charter High School, Vaughn International Studies Academy High School, Reseda High School, San Fernando High School, Canoga Park High School, Sun Valley High School, Arleta High School, Sylmar Biotech Health Academy, Van Nuys High School, John F. Kennedy High School, John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, Alliance Ouchi High School and Robert Fulton High School.

For more information on how to register, visit https://goo.gl/forms/lSZ3oGVaHZYVa3rt2.

Adelante Mujer Latina Career Conference (AMLCC), Comisión Femenil of the San Fernando Valley