Eleven-year-old Chandler Furrer says that when he grows up, he wants to join a SWAT team. But if that doesn't work out, he'd settle for becoming an NFL player.

JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune Using a model of the Mars rover, David Seidel from Cal Tech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory spoke yesterday to Latino students about space-related careers.

Regardless of where he works, Chandler, a sixth-grader at Madison Middle School in Vista, plans to go to college – which is just what organizers of the fifth annual Encuentros Education & Career Exploration Conference hoped to get across yesterday.

The event, hosted at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, was designed to expose 650 North County Latino middle and high school boys to college and careers. The theme of the day seemed to be to stay on course regardless of what hurdles come your way.

Palomar College President Robert Deegan told the students that he grew up in a family of 10, in a small house with one bathroom. When his father suffered a head injury in an automobile accident, the family had to go on welfare. During high school, Deegan had to work.

“There was a temptation then, when you start to make a little money, to quit school,” he said. “I know $10 an hour can sound like a lot.”

But people encouraged Deegan to get an education. So he remained in school and ultimately attended college and became a teacher.

Deegan told the students, “Start dreaming now about what you want to do years from now.”

The event was sponsored by MiraCosta College, Palomar College's GEAR UP Partnership Program, Tri-City Medical Center, Northrop Grumman and others.

Therese Cisneros-Remington, a board member for Encuentros Leadership of North County, which organized the event, said there's a 55 percent high school dropout rate among North County Latino boys. That statistic makes a program like Encuentros critical, Cisneros-Remington said.

“Latino boys have limited role models,” she said. “The opportunity to explore college and careers is not always available to them. So we pack it in, in one day.”

The students spent much of the morning in workshops presented by doctors, nurses, architects, psychologists, scientists, engineers, teachers and others – many of them Latino.

In one classroom, students could dissect a cow eyeball and view a cat cadaver. The goal was to get students thinking about careers in everything from forensics to neuroscience.

Chandler covered his nose while examining the cadaver.

“I think it's kind of freaky, but cool,” he said.

Rosario Cortez, a senior at Valley Center High School, nervously began to tackle his first dissection.

Rosario emigrated from Mexico three years ago. He lives with his father, who works in agriculture, and his five siblings. His parents didn't go to college, but Rosario would like to attend.

“My dad works hard, so that I can go to college and have a better life,” he said.

In the classroom next door, David Seidel, manager of elementary and secondary education programs for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, presented “Marsbound: Planning a Space Mission to Mars.”

Jose Martinez, a seventh-grader at San Marcos Middle School, said he knew most of the trivia presented, but he enjoyed the workshop.

“I thought it was really cool,” Jose said. “Space is one of the things I really like.”