Some 20,000 people interested in learning about educational proposals and programs available to the Latino community in the United States went to the “Deja Huella. Edúcate” (“Leave your mark. Get an education”) fair held August 22. The University of Guadalajara was represented at the event through two of its key strategic programs: The University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles (UDGLA) and the UDG Virtual University System.

The fair was put on for the fourth year running by the Univision Los Angeles television network and was held on the on the California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) campus in Carson, CA. Its objective was to give educational institutions the chance to showcase their programs and proposals to members of the Latino community. The fair got its start as an educational and community service project designed to address the high dropout rate among school-aged Latinos in the US.

UDG presented the University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles (UDGLA) and the cultural and academic activities program that it is currently running in this city. It also presented the educational services offered through the Virtual University System in the field of distance learning.

The organizers noted that many parents of Hispanic youth know little about the American educational system. For example, some think that free public education only goes through the elementary level and are not aware that it includes the completion of high school. This event offered them the chance to receive guidance about the range of available options.

During the fair, 30,000 math, science, history and literature books donated by the Mexican Consulate and a number of foundations were distributed. Included among them were high-quality texts as well as texts published by the Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Parents and children in attendance received information about different educational institutions at the fair and children participated in “reading garden” activities which included story readings. In addition, health professionals were on hand to administer vaccinations and perform dental and eye examinations.

The fair’s inaugural ceremony included the presence of Juan Marcos Gutiérrez, Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles, Dr. Mildred García, president of CSU Dominguez Hills, Maelia Macín, general manager of Univision, as well as Univision presenters Raúl Peimbert y Gabriela Teissier. The participation of the University of Guadalajara was at the invitation of the Education and Community Affairs department of the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles.

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