Schools

Lynwood Alumni College Conference Welcomes Huge Group

The following is a contributed story by the Lynwood Unified School District.

More than 700 parents and students on Jan. 11 attended the 14th annual Lynwood Alumni College Conference, which featured more than 20 workshops on everything from financial aid and scholarships, to the admissions process, choosing a major and building an effective resume.

The workshops were put on by former Lynwood Unified students who returned to their hometown to share their college-going experiences and knowledge with current high school and middle school parents as they pursue their higher education goals.

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"This year's theme was ‘Moving Lynwood Forward’ because we wanted to promote to students the idea that in order for our community to progress, they must take advantage of all the resources provided to them. It is our hope that they use this knowledge to attend college and return to Lynwood to help move our city forward,” said LUSD board member and event co-chair Alma-Delia Renteria, also a Lynwood High School alumna.

The event at Lynwood High School also featured a resource fair and parent workshops. Serving as a special guest speaker was Lynwood native Francisco “Franky” Carrillo, who was released from prison in 2011 after it was found that he was wrongly convicted of murder. He spent 20 years behind bars before he was exonerated.

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In addition Donyae Coleman, a Lynwood High School alumnus who now plays professional football for the Arizona Cardinals, returned to his alma mater to inspire students and encourage them to achieve their goals.

“It’s so important for our students to hear from those who were once in their shoes and moved on to achieve great things,” said LUSD Board of Education President Briseida Gonzalez. “There’s a much bigger world outside of our community and we want to expose them to all of the enormous possibilities that exist out there.”

Elsie Carrillo, who graduated from LUSD’s Firebaugh High School in 2010, led the “First Year of College Experience” workshop to inform current students about what to expect when they embark on their college careers. Carrillo is in her senior year at Cal State Fullerton and is studying child and adolescent development.

“I definitely wanted to come back to inform students about what I’ve gained and learned in my four years of college and tell them about all of the opportunities they have,” Carrillo said.

LUSD Superintendent Paul Gothold thanked the dozens of dedicated volunteers who contributed to making the Alumni College Conference a success.

“Ultimately, it is our goal to prepare every student to move on from our schools and on to colleges and positions in competitive career fields. Our volunteers – whether they are parents, community members or former students, are joining us in our mission by providing this tremendous resource in our community,” Gothold said.


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