Latino Student Visit Day April 25 to feature guest speaker

Latino Student Visit Day at College of DuPage will take place on Monday, April 25, with guest speaker Robert Renteria, Chicago businessman and author of the memoir “From the Barrio to the Board Room.”

The free event will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Student Resource Center, Room 2800. High school juniors and seniors are welcome to attend and should speak with their guidance counselors to sign up for the visit.

“It's an opportunity for Latino students to learn about College of DuPage and what we offer,” said Saraliz Jimenez, Admissions representative. “It's also a chance for them to see how a college education can open up so many doors.”

Renteria's memoir, “From the Barrio to the Board Room,” urges youth to replace violence, gangs and drugs with education, accomplishment and self esteem. Renteria was raised in an East Los Angeles barrio.

As a teenager, he used drugs, dropped out of high school, and worked one job after another. After learning his estranged father died on skid-row, Renteria returned to school, joined the military, moved to Chicago and eventually became corporate vice president of a publicly traded company. In 2010, Renteria was named Chicago Latino Professional of the Year by the Chicago Latino Network.

For more information, call (630) 942-3039 or e-mail jimene@cod.edu.