Santa Monica College officials are planning several programs designed to attract Latinos to higher education.

Included will be a mentor program that will match Latino faculty and staff with small groups of students for educational and social activities.

Also proposed are field trips to the college for Latino high school students; workshops on financial aid, four-year university transfers, careers and job interviews, and a Cinco de Mayo essay contest with scholarship prizes. An ethnic diversity week will be held in May.

The programs will be run by the Hispanic Student Center.