San Antonio College will host the third annual Women Empowered (WE) Conference, a free one-day motivational event to assist women considering a return to school. The conference will be held Wednesday, May 19, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., at McAllister Auditorium and will feature former City Councilwoman Maria Berriozabal as Keynote Speaker.

About 300 women are expected to attend. Eight $1,000 scholarships and four $250 scholarships will be awarded to successful applicants, who must have a high school diploma and have been out of school for more a minimum of five years, among other requirements. The conference will also include "how-to" workshops, exhibitors from ACCD Colleges, information on admissions and financial aid programs, a campus tour, and a free lunch.

"So much of our effort at San Antonio College is channeled into being a resource to the community," said President Robert Zeigler. "Hosting the 'WE' Conference is another opportunity to help the people of San Antonio."

Keynote speaker Maria Antonietta Berriozabal served on San Antonio's City Council for 10 years. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, she had to forgo school to support her parents. After juggling work and school for 20 years, Berriozabal graduated from the University of Texas in 1979, earning the University's Outstanding Alumnus Award.

Since then, she has served on the San Antonio City Council, taught at Harvard University, and represented the United States as an official delegate at the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing, China, a position directly influenced by her appointment by then President Bill Clinton to serve as a U.S. Representative on the Interamerican Commission of Women.

"This free conference is designed to meet the special needs of low-income women interested in returning to school," said Dr. Helen Vera, coordinator at San Antonio College's Women's Center & Adult Re-Entry Program. "The conference serves as a means of encouraging women to attend college and introduce them to a world of possibilities."

The Women's Center & Adult Re-Entry Program co-sponsors the event with the Women Investing in New Successes Leadership Program, the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women, and the San Antonio Chapter of the Hispanic Women's Network of Texas.

The Adult Re-Entry Program was established as part of the San Antonio College Women's Center in 1997 to provide assistance, encouragement, and direction to welfare-to-work participants and other individuals needing basic skills upgrading and/or training in order to start college or re-enter the workforce.

For more information about the WE Conference or the Adult Re-Entry Program, call Dr. Helen Vera at 733-2299.