OCEANSIDE -- Business and civic leaders from around North County gathered at MiraCosta College on Wednesday to hear news of what some call a disturbing trend.

"The education pipeline is leaking Latino males," said Mark Evilsizer a member of the Palomar College board of trustees and secretary of the Encuentros Leadership program. "There are an excessive amount dropping out -- starting at middle school all the way through college."

Encuentros Leadership and MiraCosta College presented "Identifying the Future", the first installment in a series of speakers aimed at furthering Encuentros' mission to encourage and support Latino boys to achieve optimal performance in education.

Encuentros founder Robert Rivas introduced Ayrton Lopez, an eighth-grader at Calavera Hills Middle School and Padres Scholar recipient, who led the group of 150 in the pledge of allegiance and then shared his hope for the future.

"When I am older I want to be an architectural draftsman," said Lopez. "And make lots of money."

Artie Ojeda, NBC 7/39 news anchor and longtime supporter of Encuentros, said that 50 percent of Latino boys don't graduate from high school and that by the year 2014 the majority of high school seniors will be Latino males.

"That's alarming," said Ojeda, who served as master of ceremonies for the event and regularly participates in Encuentros' outreach events.

He said he believes that empowering the young men to pursue their educational dreams can make a real difference.

"Just touch one, two, 20 or 200," said Ojeda. "Some of these young men are like sponges and if they can be convinced that people care, they will work very hard."

Renowned guitarist David Maldonado, who surprised the crowd with two numbers, echoed Ojeda's sentiments.

He said today's leaders need to give hope and inspiration to these kids so they can do "anything they want to do."

"As long as you live your passion you can succeed," said Maldonado.

The event also featured music from the MiraCosta Latin Jazz Orchestra and addresses by two keynote speakers: Francisco Reveles, chairman of the college of education at Cal State Sacramento, and Victor Saenz, professor of education at the University of Texas at Austin.

Data presented included the statistic from the San Diego Association of Governments that the Latino population in Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, Encinitas, San Marcos and Escondido is expected to increase to 334,536 by 2030, compared to an expected leveling and even slight decline in non-Latino population. Also, according to the California Department of Education, comparative enrollment in those same community's school districts showed a sharp incline for Latino students versus a sharp decline for Anglo students.

Representatives from most of those school districts were on hand, as well as leaders from MiraCosta and Palomar colleges, the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce and Tri-City Medical Center.

The group from the Vista Unified School District was more than 20 strong. Dr. Joyce Bales, superintendent, said she has been working with Encuentros since she started at the district in 2006, helping "to make sure that Latino boys have an opportunity to pursue an education and graduate from high school."

Ed Nelson, superintendent of the Escondido High Union School District, said he was there because educators must do "everything we can to help the population of students we serve."

"When we collectively bring these kinds of resources together nothing can happen but good," said Nelson.

Encuentros sponsors an annual career conference, summer academy and classes at several local schools, all aimed at improving education for Latino boys.

Bales said she was very impressed by the students she's seen taking part in the organization.

"Some come to class as early as 6:30 in the morning," said Bales. "Now that's dedication."

Encuentros plans to hold the next event in the series this fall. A date has not been set but they hope to feature David Hayes-Bautista, director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA, and David Lizarraga, chairman of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on Encuentros visit www.encuentrosleadership.org.