SC Commission for Minority Affairs’ Hispanic/Latino Affairs Division to host the First Ever South Carolina Latinx Student Summit at USC Upstate’s South Carolina Centro Latino

For Immediate Release
October 27, 2021
Contact: Shireese M. Bell at 803-563-0283 or sbell@cma.sc.gov; Ivan Segura at 803-995-8518 or isegura@cma.sc.gov

The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs’ Hispanic Latino Affairs Division will host the inaugural South Carolina Latinx Student Summit at USC Upstate’s South Carolina Centro Latino today, October 27, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Julio C. Hernandez, Clemson University’s Assistant Vice President for Inclusive Excellence & Executive Director for Hispanic Outreach, will deliver the keynote address. The summit also includes remarks from SCCMA Board of Commissioners Chair Karen McGill and Commissioner Andrea Sancho-Baker; USC Upstate Chancellor Dr. Bennie Harris; USC Upstate Provost Dr. David Schecter; and Araceli Hernandez-Laroche, PhD, Associate Professor of Modern Languages & Director of South Carolina Centro Latino at USC Upstate.

Other activities include a networking session, Palmetto Luna’s Latinas Chingonas poster exhibition and a scholarship drawing sponsored by TD Bank. Two students attending the event in person will have a chance to receive a $250 scholarship.

The Latinx Student Summit is an initiative of the Commission’s Pathways for Latinos to Advance Career and Education (PLACE) Program, which is designed to collaborate efforts among educators, professionals and community organizations seeking to connect Latinx students and young professionals across the state. The ultimate goal is to foster educational development and career advancement.

PLACE creates a network of Latinx students and young professionals to learn through their shared experiences and available resources, and the activities are determined by the unique needs and goals of these individuals. PLACE provides a networking and brainstorming platform where ideas are interchanged, resources are shared, and a sense of pride and belonging is cultivated amongst South Carolina’s Latinx youth.

Those unable to attend in-person are invited to view the summit’s live broadcast on the Commission’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/429778178513025.

For more information, contact the SC Commission for Minority Affairs at 803-333 9621.

About the SC Latinx Student Summit Icon:

Designed by Dre Lopez, the icon used for the SC Latinx Student Summit is of a butterfly which symbolizes change, evolution, growth and forward movement. “Both in the now for so many, as well as in ancient times to our many indigenous ancestors,” Lopez said.

The style of drawing itself is directly inspired by Aztec drawings and carvings.

All the symbology included in the illustration have to do with movement, change, growth, evolution, and transformation. The Crescent moon represents the Flag of South Carolina, as well as the Aztec god and goddess of the moon. The icon also includes references to plants, nature, the wind, water, and life / creation, death and new beginnings. Within the plants, the main anchor for the whole piece is the state’s official tree, the Sabal palmetto.

The colors add a youthful energy to the design.

View full press release PDF.