By Kirsten Mahon/reporter

Workshops have been designed to promote student involvement, career planning, suicide prevention, tutoring and academic excellence.

Coordinator and NW public services librarian Cassandra Mackie said the conference is planned for the first part of the semester to get students headed in the right direction.

“It captures our new-to-college and returning-student population early when they most need to establish a success-oriented mindset,” she said.

NW counselor Pete Portillo said they looked for a keynote speaker who could deliver a powerful and moving speech. They chose high school counselor Claudia Garcia-Aceves, who will speak Sept. 11.

“It’s a story that all students should hear,” he said.

Faculty and staff members will direct most of the workshops, Portillo said. Last year, 650 students registered for the event, and 300 people attended the keynote speech given by Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley.

Lunch will be served during the keynote presentation, but registration is not mandatory to attend the other workshops. If students wish to attend and receive free lunch, they can register through WebAdvisor with synonym number 0298623.