The annual Edúcate conference takes place in the Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU) building at the PSU campus.

We provide free breakfast and lunch to all students and staff during the conference. We ask that all schools provide their own methods of transportation for this conference. The conference is held from 8:00AM-4:00PM. Registration begins as early as 7:30AM for schools to check-in early. Schools can stick around after 4pm if any have an interest in taking pictures around campus or staying to eat at our local places around campus as a school group if they wish to--this is up to school/advisor discretion.

During the conference, we have 3 different sessions for workshops which students have the chance to choose which workshops they would like to attend. A workshop can be about anything, ranging from learning how to apply to PSU, to playing loteria, to learning about study techniques, informational discussions, motivational talks, and more.

There is a keynote speaker at the beginning of the conference who gives a talk to our attendees, as well as performers during lunch. PSU students and Mecha de PSU members will be asked to volunteer for the conference. The PSU Office of Admissions takes part in our conference every year offering high school seniors the opportunity to connect and apply to PSU admissions.

An interest form will be sent out initially in November to as many high schools as we can reach in the State of Oregon.  This interest form will allow us to get an estimate as to how many schools and students are interested in attending the conference. This initial interest form is not your school's registration!

After we receive an interest form from your school/club/chapter, we will follow up in December with an official registration form. It will have further instructions and details to formally sign up your school for the conference to allow for any preparations your school may need to make to attend.

Please be mindful there are deadlines for each form. We also have to respect our capacity limits; therefore, our registration will close until we reach our max capacity.

The current interest form has been emailed to schools already, please contact us if you haven't yet.

Where is the conference being held?

It is held at Portland State's Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU) Building in the 3rd floor ballroom

1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201

Do I have to be a Mecha chapter in order to attend?

No. You do not need to be a high school Mecha chapter to attend. The Mecha de PSU Edúcate Conference is open to any and all high school Latinx student groups, clubs, and/or chapters.

Do students need to come with a chaperone/advisor?

Yes. We ask please to have at least one advisor and/or chaperone for each high school in attendance to the Conference. We need to be able to connect with an adult in case of an emergency and/or to have a responsible party in case of an incident.

Is there a cost for schools or students to attend?

No. There is no fee or charges to attend. The Edúcate Conference is completely free. However, please keep in mind if you decide to drive and park on PSU Campus Parking, you will be required to pay for parking per PSU parking policies.

Do I have to register to attend?

Yes. An initial interest form will be sent to schools to help us identify which schools are interested in attending and how many students we can take from every high school. Any school who fills out the interest form, will receive a follow-up email with instructions to official formal registration for the conference.

How many students from my high school can I take to the conference?

This will depend on how many schools show an interest in attending the conference. Our ballroom has a capacity limit we have to respect. We will notify each school how many high school students can come once we have confirmation from all schools wanting to attend. Last year's guidelines allowed each school to bring 15 students, this may change this year since we are past Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

Is there a schedule or itinerary for the conference I can take a look at?

A schedule of the conference will be shared with all attending schools when we have all workshop presenters and performers confirmed. We will keep everyone updated.

Will food be provided?

Mecha de PSU will provide free breakfast and lunch for attendees. PSU campus is surrounded by food carts and food restaurants/places, we ask that all attendees stay in the building to respect PSU guidelines for guests on-campus. If an advisor/chaperone/high school representative wants to take your students outside for lunch, please get in touch with Mecha de PSU to talk about it and see if any arrangements can be made. High school students should be under the supervision of a high school advisor/chaperone/representative.

Can I be a workshop presenter?

Anyone wishing to be workshop presenter for the Edúcate Conference should get in contact with Mecha de PSU to have a conversation about it and learn about the guidelines.