In the fall of 2003 two freshmen at the University of Georgia pondered the idea of creating an active student organization that would focus specifically on mentoring the Latino youth of Athens on the completion of a secondary education and post-secondary options. Provided that education is the key to the progress of a community, mentoring the Latino youth of Athens would offer this community an active political voice. The two students formed a group of five interested individuals and began planning the formation of a Latino-focused organization. With the guidance of Dr. Roberta Fernandez, an assistant professor with the Department of Romance Languages and the Institute for Women's Studies at UGA, the students submitted their proposal to Student Activities. Students for Latin@ Empowerment received official status in the summer of 2004.