While the theme of this year’s conference is Championing Hispanic Higher Education Success, Valverde, who teaches for CAC’s Social Behavioral Sciences Division, will specifically serve as both moderator and presenter during the panel discussion entitled Systemic Educational Reform Priorities: Improving Student Access, Degree Completion, Academic and Workplace Success.
The panel will discuss strategies and techniques found in the book The Latino Student Guide to College Success. Valverde contributed content to the book while his father, also named Leo, served as editor.
A native of East Los Angeles and raised in Texas, Valverde moved to Arizona in 1994 to attend Arizona State University’s College of Law. He served as a Maricopa County public defender for five years until opening his own practice in 2003.
The Latino Student Guide to College Success is recommended for all students in grade nine and above.
Latinos, recognizing the importance of a college degree in being successful in the United States, are pursuing higher education in greater numbers.
The Latino Student's Guide to College Success, written by Latino education experts, provides solid, up-to-date advice directed specifically to Latinos contemplating, preparing for, or already in the university or community college setting.
The volume contains the 8 Steps to College Success, numerous vignettes of notable Latinos in many fields who give their personal story of how they succeeded in college and their advice for today's students, and a directory of top Latino universities and community colleges.
