NHI announces final week for Celebracion 2017 applications

The National Hispanic Institute is getting ready for (and excited for) Celebracion 2017.

This year’s edition will be November 16-19 at the San Marcos Convention Center (officially, the Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center and Spa). NHI chose the Central Texas location for this year’s edition of Celebracion, largely because of its proximity to NHI headquarters. The weekend’s festivities will include a barbecue event at NHI’s Maxwell headquarters the evening of Friday, November 17.

Because of increased interest from eligible students, NHI has extended the deadline for Celebracion 2017 applicants to September 15.

This year, as in past years, NHI expects more than 500 students from across the United States, Mexico, and Latin America to participate in the program. The program uniquely brings CWS, LDZ, and Great Debate alumni together, and also involves college-level and professional alumni in a full weekend of activities, awards, and networking.

Celebracion includes learning and teamwork opportunities for students that build from the summer programs, but also introduce new concepts and help those students acquire additional skill sets. The weekend also includes a College Fair event, giving 2017 Great Debate alumni their first opportunity to experience the College Register network that NHI has built, as well as a presentation (in partnership with

Benefits to Celebracion 2017 participants

As articulated in a recent email bulletin to students and alumni, Celebracion offers the following benefits to participants:

• They will develop a larger understanding of the Latino community as an emerging population of hemispheric significance that adds value to their individual identities and cultural confidence.
  Opportunities to work alongside high potential peers of similar age from across the United States and different Latin American countries with whom they can compete, form lasting friendships and learn from one another.
• They will be provided with added opportunities to establish and cultivate personal relations with top college and university officials that will give them a competitive edge in competing for admission and scholarships.
• They will establish relations with NHI alumni as adult professionals who can add to their repertoire of contacts and support in their future educational and professional pursuits.
• They will establish personal contact with older NHI undergraduate students who can help guide them as college applicants in the near future.
• They will further their understanding of community leadership from a perspective of becoming investor-beneficiaries of their own development rather than relying on older, more traditional models that emphasize need over promise and potential.

How to register for Celebracion 2017

Students wishing to register for Celebracion 2017 should go to the application page on the NHI website. (The site may prompt you to log in when you navigate to that page.)

NHI has also created an online video tutorial to walk you through the registration process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUhVJhUJt-w

(Note for students outside Central Texas and San Antonio: The four-day event San Marcos is also located less than 45 minutes from both the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and San Antonio International Airport (SAT), providing travel options for participants from Dallas, El Paso, Houston and points beyond.)

This program is made possible in part by sponsorship from DishLATINO and State Farm.