NHI unveils report showing impact of summer program ‘X-periences’

This summer was unprecedented for the National Hispanic Institute. After past years of growing its summer programming to a slate of 17 university-hosted live programs — which is how NHI anticipated 2020 would look — the organization had to pivot to online programs due to the ongoing pandemic.

NHI was able to deliver online leadership education programming for more than 800 students throughout the summer, and in a new report highlighting data from its Collaborative Research Center, it accomplished some of the organization’s most important aims in developing young leaders.

The report included the following observations from the GDx, the digital version of the Great Debate programs for rising sophomores:

For social and emotional impact

• 100% made personal gains in self-confidence
• 87% increased confidence in persuasive skills
• 82% increased confidence with peers

For cognitive development

• 91% increased ability to take a position on a topic/theme
• 95% increased confidence in organizing content/ideas
• 87% said GDx was intellectually challenging

For civic and community engagement

• 100% agreed or strongly agreed that they are responsible for advancing their community
• 75% met many new peers and mentors

Regarding their overall experience

• 100% felt GDx was “important to overall development”
• 100% gave “Excellent” ratings on leadership coaches and mentors
• 100% gave an “Excellent “ or “Very Good” satisfaction rating with overall GDx experience
• 90% would advise their peers to experience this digital format for NHI leadership training

Students similarly gave high ratings to the CWSx program, which converted the college preparation portion of the Collegiate World Series into a digital experience. The study found:

Regarding student satisfaction with the digital format

• 99.6% would advise their peers to experience the NHI digital format to prepare for college

For college application readiness

• 98% said it increased their readiness for the college admissions process
• 88% said it increased their readiness for the financial aid process
• 83% said it increased their ability to work collaboratively with time limits, requirements, and topics
• 87% reported being able to better think and express in the abstract through writing an essay
• 90% said the feedback on their college essays improved college admission skills

For resume preparation

• 100% agreed or strongly agreed that the program improved their admission skills for the educational resume

For interviews

• 92.7% said the interview practice was personalized and will help them in the college application process
• 90% developed a sense of best practices in the college financial aid process

For rising juniors in the College Game Plan sessions for the NHI Digital Leadership Symposium, the survey found:

• 94% indicated NHI covered important factors to consider when applying to colleges/universities
• 80% gained a greater perspective on how to learn about campuses/institutions of interest without being able to physically visit
• 82% gained a greater understanding of how HS graduates may be affected by COVID-19
• 76% learned more about networking in a post-COVID-19 world

The report also includes quotes from students about their experiences, a number of which were featured in NHIMagazine.com articles about the programs throughout the summer, and testimonials from university representatives who were impressed with NHI students during this summer’s College Fair events.

NHI Executive Vice President Nicole Nieto was witness to a number of online sessions this year, noting that she saw the impact firsthand.

“We built a new community online,” she reflected. “As an executive of the organization, I cherish the moments when I can see and hear students transform. This summer, my twin daughters interned for NHI from home, mentoring GDx and CWSx students. I teared up every time I passed through their work area. They were asking kids big, tough questions, and then being silent. I could hear uncomfortable silence, and then their voices over the Zoom calls growing a little stronger, a little more confident.”

“Students expressed their ideas about how to build a stronger society and talked about what leaders should do to make this possible,” she continued. “As the mentor, my daughter listened intensely for some time as the GDxers excitedly talked about the future. She found a moment of pause, and asked them, ‘When NHI is asking for leaders to step up and make change, who do you think they’re talking about?’ There was a moment of silence. Finally, a young lady’s voice uttered, ‘Us.’”

“I couldn’t hold back my tears,” she recalled. “I could hear an element of realization in her voice, a new knowing that this young woman was selected to make a difference. They had taken charge of themselves and of driving their own outcomes in the program. At this point, my daughter would only have to guide them, as their motivation would come from within.”

You can download the full report via this link.