NHI to Return to Arizona for Recruiting

Last year, a group of students from Arizona made its mark on the National Hispanic Institute’s California LDZ Youth Legislative Session at the University of San Diego. About 30 students in all (including the group from University High School in Tucson, pictured above) participated in the conference, and this year, NHI wants even more students from Arizona to come on board.

So, Zachary Gonzalez, the organization’s Arizona State Lead Organizer, will be in Phoenix and Tucson Dec. 12-16 to meet with students interested in and meeting the requirements for NHI’s Latino leadership education programs.

NHI has summer programs for students at all high school levels, starting with the Great Debate for students between 9th and 10th grade, and continuing with the Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session and Collegiate World Series. Gonzalez will be meeting with school board members, elected officials, and student leaders in public and private (Catholic) high schools in both metro areas, with expectations that the number of students from Arizona will double from 2016.

“We are enthused about the support we are receiving across the State of Arizona,” Gonzalez said. “Both Phoenix and Tucson are beginning to emerge as hubs for the National Hispanic Institute and we expect these communities to play larger roles, not only in our summer leadership programs, but our national agenda.”

Gonzalez noted that the growth of the U.S. Latino population throughout the Southwest makes cultivating young Latino leaders from Arizona an important focus for the National Hispanic Institute. Similar efforts are currently underway in California and Florida, following prior successful initiatives the organization has made throughout Texas, in the Chicago metro area, and throughout the Northeast United States. NHI is also reaching beyond the U.S. to reach students across the Western Hemisphere, with students from Mexico, Panama, and the Dominican Republic attending programs hosted by a number of American institutions (and one Panamanian institution).