Latinitas, an organization that works  to empower young Latina girls, will be collaborating with UTEP to host their College Chica Workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to explain the importance of college through campus visits, presentations and other activities.

The event will take place on Feb. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mike Loya Academic Services building. Girls ages nine to  17 are encouraged to attend and learn about the importance of education.

“We want girls to walk away inspired to focus on education and to give them the tools they need to get ready for college early,” said Alicia Rascon, co founder of Latinitas.

The girls who attend the workshop will have the opportunity to meet with college mentors and interview professional women with college degrees.

“The workshops will give girls a breakdown of the steps needed to apply for college and how they can start preparing throughout middle and high school to get ready for college,” Rascon said.

There will be workshops to help girls prepare financially for college by covering the basics of financial aid.

“We will also help girls in planning how they can fund their college education through financial aid and scholarships,” Rascon said.

Participants will go on a tour of UTEP and meet with student leaders, giving them the chance to ask questions and get hands-on experience from current college students.

They will also work in teams to create public service announcements to help share the importance of college with their peers.

Rascon and her colleagues at Latinitas hope to recruit 100 girls from middle and high schools in the El Paso area for the event.

“Latinitas offers numerous outreach programs to help empower girls to build confidence, discover their voice and grow as leaders,” Rascon said.

The College Chica Workshops offer many other programs and activities to encourage girls to be leaders and take charge in many aspects of their lives.

“We host monthly girl empowerment programs and offer ongoing after-school programs in partnership with local schools and community centers,” Rascon said.

Latinitas will also be having an event titled Viva la Mujer as a celebration for Women’s History Month on Mar. 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Café Mayapan at 2000 Texas Ave. They will also be collaborating with the UTEP Women in Business Association to host their Girl Power Fest in April.

Latinitas is located at 215 N. Mesa. For more information, call 915-219-8554.

Julia Hettiger may be reached at the [email protected].