“The future is in good hands” as 2018 International CWS closes

A successful 2018 International CWS — the second straight at Saint Leo University in the Tampa/St. Petersburg metro area — concluded this past Sunday with more than 110 students completing the National Hispanic Institute’s capstone program.

“You know the future is in good hands when you come across the type of kids I had on my team,” said Tatiana Mena, who served as Senior Mentor for the winning team in the Thought Series competition. “Not only did they embrace the IBL process, but they also embraced the opportunity to acquire and practice skills that’ll help them for the rest of their academic, personal and professional life. By accepting the challenge of thinking outside their own box, they made an experience filled with inevitable obstacles a chance for growth and self-reflection they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

As CWS Director Zachary Gonzalez said in press coverage of the International CWS from The Laker/Lutz News, “A lot of times a college freshman comes on campus, they don’t necessarily know how to plug in. They don’t necessarily know how to lead. Sometimes they don’t have any prior experiences in working with students of different nationalities, different backgrounds, confronting different cultures, confronting different social environments. We’re not here to tell them there’s a right or wrong answer. It’s about how do we get them to see that their talents can be applied to the community, and begin to build those tools.”

In The League Series the first of two competitions, preparing students for the college admissions process, the team representing the University of Rochester emerged victorious.

Guido Herrera, from Sharyland High School in Mission, Texas, upon winning, said, “I’m very excited right now. It felt good that our hard work paid off. I learned a lot of thing about the college admissions process … how to present yourself to colleges, how to sell yourself, and how to act in interviews. The most important thing she taught us, was at the end of the day, all colleges want you to do is be yourself.”

Natalia Cassino, from Colegio Real in Panamá, Panamá, who was part of the Thought Series winning team, said, “We actually made a lot of effort, we actually took at lot of time on thinking what we were doing, and we actually deserved this.” She noted, “This program is one of the most amazing experiences of my life; I can say that the IBL process that was introduced to us is a useful tool for anyone making a tough decision or an important decision.”

The League Series winning team included:

Milton Aguero, San Juan, Texas
Adam Alvarado, IDEA Donna HS, Donna, Texas
Kelsey Argomaniz, Wauconda HS, Wacounda, Illinois
Brandon Cavazos, IDEA Edinburg, Edinburg, Texas
Marla Cavazos, IDEA Mission, Mission, Texas
Mark Fernandez, Central Catholic HS, San Antonio, Texas
Guido Herrera, Sharyland HS, Mission, Texas
Irilen Medrano, IDEA Weslaco, Weslaco, Texas
Carolina Molina, Houston, Texas
Alonso Ponce, Saint Joseph Academy, Brownsville
Sydney Ramon, McAllen Memorial HS, McAllen, Texas
Payton Taylor, Grayslake North HS, Grayslake, Illinois
Lourdes Vasquez, Colegio Real, Panamá, Panamá

The Thought Series winning team included:

Victor Abreu Cabrera, Instituto Politecnico Monseñor Juan Felix Pepen, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Juan Arroyo, IDEA Weslaco, Weslaco, Texas
Connor Caldwell, Young Women’s Leadership Academy, San Antonio, Texas
Carlos Carroll, W.B. Ray HS, Corpus Christi, Texas
Natalia Cassino, Colegio Real, Panamá, Panamá
Dania Fernandez, IDEA San Benito, San Benito, Texas
Juan Carlos Franch Collier de la Mar, Colegio America de Torreon, Torreon, Mexico
Sebastian Lezcano, David, Panamá
Isabella Ortiz Lopez, David, Panamá
Nayeli Pantoja, Cristo Rey Jesuit HS, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Alondra Ramirez, IDEA Pharr, Pharr, Texas
Lorena Ramirez, Saint Joseph Academy, Brownsvile, Texas
Albert Rosas, Challenge Early College HS, Houston, Texas
Arleth Salas, Wauconda HS, Wacounda, Illinois