MILWAUKEE (SPECTRUM NEWS) -- Hispanics in the workforce was a big topic at the first day of the 90th League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Convention and Exposition in Milwaukee today.

The discussion focused on the opportunities and challenges the Latino community faces in accessing quality jobs and how different programs will contribute to the Hispanic workforce in the future. 

Wisconsin LULAC host committee member Patricia Ruiz-Cantu is an example of how resources and programs can help set young people up from success regardless of their minority group. She has lived in Milwaukee for the past 20 years and came here from Mexico in search of an education and better opportunities. Ruiz-Cantu held an internship position throughout high school and college and landed a job at the same company after graduating.

“In Milwaukee, the Earn & Learn program that the mayor created is a great way to get minority individuals, Latinos and African American, the youth in general, to start getting experience in the workforce,” Ruiz-Cantu said.

For immigrants, experience doesn’t always come easy.

“Our parents did not go to college, so we’re first generation high school or college graduates,” Ruiz-Cantu said. “Therefore, you don’t have the same support as some individuals that were born here in the United States and since kindergarten, they’ve been told, ‘You are going to college; you need to think of what you want to do when you grow up.’”

People came together at the LULAC convention in hopes of sparking conversation on what needs to be prioritized in minority communities and how to create solutions regarding Hispanics in the workforce.

“Out of two new hires, one will be a Latino by 2025, so this is a huge subject for us,” said LULAC attendee Martha Fowler. “This is what we live every day.”

LULAC offered people the ability to voice their concerns.

“The secretary of labor is not really sensitized to our community,” said attendee Mary Yanez. “What are you doing with Secretary of Labor Acosta that is in deep trouble now too? How will we work with leaders?”

LULAC is also a time for people to recognize how far the community has come.

“We have come far,” said Ruiz-Cantu. “I’m very proud to be able to say we have a José Moreno Hernández in NASA. It’s an amazing feeling that you can think of big names out there in corporate America that has a last name that you can identify with.”

Latinos at LULAC said they contribute culture and skills to the communities they live in, and with the right resources, they feel anyone could reach their highest potential in the workforce. 

The LULAC convention will continue through Friday and will feature the following speakers: Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Julián Castro, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke and more. For more information, click here.