'A light within ourselves': Carolina Latinx Center holds 4th annual La Conferencia

The Carolina Latinx Center recently held its fourth annual La Conferencia — an event where Latino students and professionals across the state convene to share their experiences, explore their interests and network with mentors.

Senior Gisselle Castro, presenter chair of La Conferencia, attended the event for the first time this year. She said she sees La Conferencia as a space for Latino students to share their ideas and learn all about what the Carolina Latinx Center has to offer. 

“​​It's that safe space that will bring forward a diverse community in the sense of, we have literally people from different backgrounds coming in and talking to everyone,” Castro said. “But also, just overall, I think it will help, like I mentioned, bring this safe community space and it will introduce to people what the Carolina Latinx Center is.”

Since its inception in 2019, the CLC continues to be a space where Latino students and staff gather, address community needs and connect with Latino partners in their fields.

Before the CLC was founded and granted its own office space in Abernethy Hall, UNC Latino organizations were grouped under the Carolina Latina/o Collaborative. 

Nestor Rodriguez-Garcia, program assistant at the CLC, said that when the Collaborative formed in 2009, around 2 percent of UNC’s population identified as Latino. Latino students made up 10.1 percent of UNC’s admitted student population in fall of 2024. 

To sophomore Evelyn Gamez-Gómez, marketing chair of La Conferencia, a stand-alone center means having a space where students can gather and feel safe. She said La Sala, the center’s study room, provides space in the CLC for students to work and hang out. 

“If we didn't have the place when it first started, then it would have probably not been as comforting or, like, homey-vibes,” Gamez-Gómez said.

Sophomore Karen Chavez-Chavez, the student ambassador for La Conferencia, said she hopes more students get involved in the CLC as the center grows.

This year’s La Conferencia theme was “Encendiendo Nuestra Llama” which translates to “igniting our flame.” The conference was held from Feb. 28 to March 1.

“It kind of is just creating a light within ourselves,” Castro said. “So, sparking our own, like their community illuminating and being able to empower each other and kind of uplift one another while also showing our spark and who we are, and embracing what we bring to our community and the bonds that we create.”

In addition to La Conferencia, the CLC hosts a range of events and programs. One of these opportunities includes a partnership with Frank Porter Graham Elementary School in Chapel Hill where a cohort of volunteers helps fifth graders transition into middle school. Rodriguez-Garcia said the purpose of the partnership is to provide mentorship at a time when students often feel unsure of themselves.

“We also have a virtual tutoring program to help them read to first graders,” Rodriguez-Garcia said. 

When looking ahead to the next five years, Rodriguez-Garcia said the CLC hopes to increase involvement and continue to promote even more student-led initiatives. 

In its time as a stand-alone center, the CLC has been the central hub for Latino student organizations and events. It offers students academic support as well as social and cultural connection and the facility to meet with students of similar life experiences. 

Castro said the center's programs also helped her find support as a first-generation college student. 

“If we didn't have that community, or the Center, then I feel like it would kind of be hard to be able to feel motivated here, especially because it's such a small group of Latinos and stuff, and not just here but in the world,” Gamez-Gómez said. “But it's motivating, seeing what other people have achieved.”

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