Every year the Catholic Central Latino Student Union attends ALSAME which stands for Advocates for Latino Students Advancement in Michigan Education. This is a nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to help Latino and Hispanic youth to make their higher education a reality. This organization has been around in Michigan for over 50 years.
ALSAME 2026 took place at Western Michigan University on May 8th. The students who attended included:
Maria Huerta-Perez ‘27, Nahomi Arias-Mendoza ‘27, Dulce Hernandez- Martinez ’27, Laura Gomez-Lopez ‘28, Aaliyah Lopez ‘28, Xitlalli Garcia-Rodriguez ‘28, Natalia Chavez-Evangelista ‘28, Janelie Soriano-Perez ‘28, Samantha Rodriguez-Lopez ‘28, Hayley Tovar ‘28, Rodney Florey ‘28, Stephanie Reyes-Cervantes ‘29, Alexandra Campos-Galvan ‘29, Natalia Flores ‘29, Lucero Saavedra ‘29, Luis Huerta-Perez ‘29, Carlos Camarena ‘29, and Jurelie Ledesma ‘29.
During this conference all these students got the chance to welcome the keynote speaker, Monteze O. Morales. She is an Afro-Latina transformational leader, public servant and equity strategist. Morales has over 20 years of experience with controlling the systems-level change in education, government, and community impacts. She gave a speech in which she explained what her experience was as the first Afro-Latina commissioner who got the ability to represent District 3 on the Kalamazoo County board of commissioners next to Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Students also got the ability to attend three different sessions. The first session Western students explained how college has the ability to open doors and new opportunities for your future. They explained how it’s important for people to invest into their personal growth to not only allow them to pursue their dreams but also to discover their unknown passions. The second session had to do more with mental health and wellbeing. Another group of students explained a balanced well-being wheel; they explained the eight different dimensions of how to manage your wellness during stressful situations.
The last session was a career fair where the following colleges attended:
- Alma College
- Aquinas College
- Baker College
- Central Michigan University
- Davenport University
- Eastern Michigan University
- Grand Rapids Community College
- Grand Valley State University
- Hope College
- Kettering University
- Lawrence Technological University
- Oakland University
- Saginaw Valley State University
- Spring Arbor University
- University of Detroit Mercy
- University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
- University of Michigan – Dearborn
- University of Michigan – Flint
- Wayne State University
- Western Michigan University: College of Arts & Sciences
- Western Michigan University: College of Aviation
- Western Michigan University: College of Education & Human Development
- Western Michigan University: College of Engineering & Applied Sciences
- Western Michigan University: College of Fine Arts
- Western Michigan University: College of Health & Human Services
- Western Michigan University: Haworth College of Business
- Western Michigan University: Lee Honors College
