By Celina Moreno
Daily Texan Staff

Two student organizations led Saturday the largest UT student-run Latino-recruiting effort, encouraging more than 130 high school and middle school students to prepare for college.

The Second Annual Longhorn Leaders Day, co-sponsored by Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc., Sigma Lambda Beta Latino Fraternity, Inc. and the Hispanic Women's Network of Texas included workshops on financial aid, college admissions and SAT preparation.

Representatives from UT Latino organizations, along with professional and student mentors, were available to answer questions.

Targeting predominantly Latinos and high school freshmen and sophomores with "B" or "C" averages, the event focused on students who were not yet college-bound, said Melissa Eureste, the event's founder in 2000 and former president of Kappa Delta Chi.

"We target students who aren't on the college-bound track yet but can still get there with a little help," she said. "The whole purpose is to give all of the information to students so that they have no excuse to not go to college."

Several student organizers at the conference, which cost $12,000 to hold, said the UT Latino recruitment effort is inadequate.

"There really is not the administrative support that you would expect," said Marcelo Gonzalez, a corporate communications senior and Sigma Lambda Beta member. "The flagship university of the state in no way represents the true population of the state of Texas."

Charles Roeckle, deputy to the president and a professional mentor at Longhorn Leaders Day, said the organizers gained experience in approaching businesses for funding, working with the UT administration to provide facilities and allowing high school students to observe and appreciate the student-run event.