The North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals say more than 650 Hispanic students from more than 35 school districts in North Carolina will celebrate education at Friday's ninth annual NCSHP education summit. This year's event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and will be held at Raleigh's McKimmon Center.

Guillermo Diaz, Jr., Vice President of IT for Cisco Systems, and Latina author, Rosie Molinary will speak at the summit that organizers say is the state's largest one for Hispanic students in 6th through 12th grade.

"We are extremely happy to be able to have two exceptional role models at our summit, Mr. Diaz and Ms. Molinary, whose life-long perseverance and dedication will set the tone for our Hispanic students to excel, stay in school, and pursue higher education" said Marco A. Zárate, president of the NCSHP. 

In addition to the key note speakers, more than 30 other summit speakers will talk about life skills, education planning, and career planning.

The conference will have more than 50 exhibitors ranging from community colleges to local universities and other educational institutions. 

This conference is being hosted in its 7th year by North Carolina State University, and organizers say it is planned in an effort to promote education and educational opportunities among Hispanic youth in North Carolina, the sole mission of the NCSHP.