NHI and Regis University to partner on 2025 Rocky Mountain CWS program

The National Hispanic Institute (NHI) — celebrating 45 years of developing high-performing Latino high school students into leaders through immersive learning experiences on college campuses — will partner with Regis University to host its capstone leadership education program from June 29-July 3, 2025. 

The Rocky Mountain Collegiate World Series (CWS) is one of two CWS events NHI offers for rising seniors, and is the third and final program in the organization’s leadership development series for high school students. 

The CWS has a dual function for students entering their final year of high school. During the five-day experience, students first learn about the college application process through an interactive, team-based competition, and then are introduced to inquiry-based learning as a tool for self-development and community change. 

The CWS involves admission representatives from a number of colleges and universities serving as coaches to guide students through their competitions. The program is staffed by NHI alumni who grew and developed as leaders under past iterations of the organization’s programs, “paying it forward” by working with the next generation of leaders. 

The program also gives CWS students the chance to live on a college campus for the first time – important since the great majority of NHI students aspire to attend college. Ninety-eight percent of NHI students go on to higher education institutions, with 90 percent receiving college degrees within five years. Yet, the program is focused on much more than higher education, seeing college as only one step towards principled leadership geared toward developing assets in the global Latino community.

“We’re excited to partner with Regis University to deliver the CWS capstone experience,” said Nicole Nieto, NHI’s executive vice president. “Regis shares core values with NHI with respect to the intellectual capital and talent contribution youth can represent to their community. Together, we will provide our students with an unforgettable five days to discuss their role as future leaders. Denver is an international,  diverse and vibrant city that will provide the best atmosphere for future leaders to envision the future.” 

“Regis shares a deep commitment with the National Hispanic Institute to cultivate future leaders who are driven by values of justice, service, and community,” said Dr. Senthil Kumar, Regis’ senior vice president. “Our Jesuit mission aligns with NHI’s focus on developing young minds for leadership through dialogue and action. Together, we aim to empower students to think critically, lead courageously, and make a meaningful impact in their communities.” 

“Students coming to Regis can expect a welcoming, inclusive environment where they are encouraged to grow academically, spiritually, and personally,” added J.T. Smith, Regis’ associate vice president for strategic enrollment management and dean of admissions. “Regis educates diverse students for lives of service and meaning, equips them with knowledge and skills to be discerning persons in solidarity with others, and empowers them to care for the Earth, our common home. They will experience Denver’s vibrant culture and breathtaking natural surroundings while engaging in rigorous, values-driven learning. Our hope is that they leave inspired to serve others and build a more just and humane world.” 

NHI delivers its curriculum guided by community equity building principles in an  immersive-disruptive way — a self-directed, student-centered learning method that encourages critical thinking and challenges society’s assumptions and conventions about themselves as leaders and their communities — to provide both a compliment and a contrast to the education students experience during the school year.  

For more information about NHI, its programs, and its new path for developing leaders, visit https://www.nationalhispanicinstitute.org/.

For more information on Regis University, including a virtual visit of the campus, visit https://www.regis.edu/.