This past October marks the 21st year of the Wyoming Latina Youth
Conference (WLYC). I met with Dr. Cecilia J. Aragón to learn about its’ history and
future aspirations of WLYC. Dr. Aragón is a University of Wyoming Professor in Latina/o
Studies and Theatre and Dance, and she is also the first named Executive Director
of WLYC, since 2016.
The conference is geared to 5th-12th grade young Latinas, and is an
educational pipeline program at UW. WLYC uses a few concepts as pillars of guidance,
which create the workshops that the young Latinas experience during the conference.
These pillars include financial literacy, STEM, leadership, creativity, mental and
physical well-being, entrepreneurship, and cultural arts. During their three day conference,
the young women learn from national keynote speakers, near-peer mentors in college,
and workshop presenters. They also have fun in safe spaces such as the end of conference
awards banquet and dance. Over 250+ participants attend the WLYC, and there are school
partners across the state of Wyoming who encourage their students to take part in
this holistic experience.
The history of WLYC is one of partnership and hope, for Ann Esquibel
Redman founded it after conversations about the current hardships many Latinas face
in Wyoming. In 1999, she had met with representatives from the United States Department
of Health. They were interested in current public health issues experienced by Latinas
in the state of Wyoming. At this time, she and a committee of others in Wyoming put
together a report examining various public health issues experienced by Wyoming Latinas.
Uniting with this group of professionals and community members along with educational
partners in Cheyenne, they designed a conference geared to young Latinas about the
power of choice. From the beginning, they also wanted to make sure that they had teen
input in the workshops and speakers being introduced. Thus, they consistently invited
teen advisors to their conference planning committee.
Throughout the years, the WLYC has invited some remarkable keynote
speakers to present to the young Latinas on the nature of choice, the importance of
leadership, and a variety of other elements crucial for success. In 2008, they invited
Colonel Dolores Castillo Kickbush, who was the highest-ranking woman in the Combat
Support Field of the United States Army. The keynote speaker for 2011 was Dolores
Huerta, one of the most famous and celebrated Latinas in the U.S who worked closely
with Cesar Chavez. Linda Alvarado, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alvarado
Construction Inc. and the first Latino/Latina baseball team owner, was the keynote
speaker for 2017. These are just a few of the fantastic speakers who have been involved
with WLYC.
The WLYC started in Cheyenne, thanks to the community partnerships
formed along with the continual involvement of the Laramie County Community College
and other government offices under the purview of the Governor. In 2016, WLYC moved
to the University of Wyoming (UW) to expand the outreach and encourage educational
pipelines for young women interested in pursuing community college and university
education. WLYC currently has a scholarship-accompanying college mentor program to
encourage UW freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, to support the conference
participants. In addition, they often will help develop the conference along with
the rest of the leadership structure. One of the goals moving forward for WLYC is
to establish a center on campus that provides direction for the conference and space
for support and resource connection across the state. In addition, Dr. Aragón mentioned
how she would like to see an alumna directory that will help other conference participants
network and create a workplace mentorship for graduating WLYC participants at UW.
If you would like to assist the WLYC, you can donate by following
this link:
Link. As an educator or administrator, you can also let people know about the conference
as well as any conference scholarships so that more students are aware of these opportunities.
Here is the link to the WLYC Conference webpage:
Link. If you would like more information about the WLYC, please reach out to WLYC Executive
Director,
ccaragon@uwyo.edu.
