More than 200 gather at Colorado State for ‘creative, thoughtful, energized and passionate’ Colorado LDZ

More than 200 students, hailing from the U.S. and Mexico, converged on Colorado State University — now approaching nearly 40 years of history as a NHI partner — for the 2026 edition of the Colorado LDZ, from June 20 to 27. 

“It was a special delegation on many levels,” said Julio Cotto, the program’s educational director, particularly pleased in “seeing how the next generation already sees themselves taking the organization and the learning to a new level.”

“The future was our focus: Imagining it, envisioning it, staying laser-focused on neither the present nor the past, but rather the future that, as a community, we could shape, build, and thrive in,” he said, then listing qualities that made the 2026 Colorado LDZ special. “Transnational. Transcultural. Multi-state. Multi-ethnic. Multi-generational. First-time NHI members. Great Debaters. Legacy children of NHIers from decades before. Bicoastal. Multilingual. Creative. Thoughtful. Energized and passionate.”

Cotto emphasized that students were able to experience “a world-class, global institution of learning and leadership” by being at Colorado State, and the history of the program was evident throughout the week. 

“For me, it was humbling to meet a delegate whose parent had been in the very same room as a delegate in 2001, my last summer as an LDZ undergraduate volunteer. He made an impact, just like his parent! And there were equally amazing students from our local NHI regions who had some early familiarity with certain concepts and terms, like community equity building, but began to mature in their understanding and attempted to apply the model in their own writing.” 

Students found the program enriching and engaging. 

“Spacers like NHI matter because they’re fundamental for younger generations and young leaders to be seen and listened to, so they can become the leaders and the next stakeholders for those younger generations so there can be a lot of Latino representation everywhere,” said Amelia Garza, from PrepaTec Santa Catarina in Santa Catarina, Mexico, who served as Lt. Governor. 

“Becoming a leader, you have to be open to listen, and then be open to communicate in more of a way where you’re talking to somebody and you’re understanding each other and exchanging information rather than it becoming an argument,” said Isaias Vera from Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, California, who earned the Best Orator award for the program’s judicial branch. “I learned that when you learn how to do things such as that, that it’s easier to communicate. It’s easier to become a leader. It’s easier to guide people and to show people what you believe in,” adding that this also contributes to mutual respect and overcoming differences. 

“Being a changemaker is more about the people,” said Alejandro Felton from John F. Kennedy the American School of Querétaro in Querétaro, Mexico. “To make change is to actually keep going, because you can win the the biggest award, but if you don’t keep going, if you just stop there, then are you really making change by just feeling your own lego? Going to the LDZ just made me realize that life is more about just awards — it’s what you do after the awards.” 

This year’s top elected officials included: 

Governor: Andrew Mefrige, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas

Lt. Governor: Amelia Garza, PrepaTec Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina, Mexico

Speaker of the House: Fernando Martínez, Prepa Tec Eugenio Garza Sada, Monterrey, Mexico

This year’s Supreme Court included: 

Chief Justice: 

• Finn Sternlicht, La Salle College Preparatory, Pasadena, California

Justices:

• Loralei Flores, Young Women’s Leadership Academy, San Antonio, Texas
• Francisco Cocho Kort, Colegio Americano de Torreón, Torreón, Mexico
• Asher Lopes, El Paso High School, El Paso, Texas
• Daniel Lopez lll, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas
• Claudia Mejia, Incarnate Word High School, San Antonio, Texas
• Emilio Quintana, TMI Episcopal, San Antonio, Texas
• Orlando Reyes, Coronado High School, El Paso, Texas
• Shantal Silva, Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School, Summerlin, Nevada

This year’s executive cabinet included:

• Ava Abrego, Glenda Dawson High School, Pearland, Texas
• Irene Cobos, Fossil Ridge High School, Fort Collins, Colorado
• Samuel Cruz, CAST Tech High School, San Antonio, Texas
• Will Delfin, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Bethesda, Maryland
• Irie Gonzalez, Providence Catholic School, San Antonio, Texas
• Michelle Lora-Pardo, Rocky Mountain High School, Fort Collins, Colorado

Top Awards: 

• Most Promising Male Award: Fernando Julian Miranda, Timnath Middle-High School, Timnath, Colorado
• Most Promising Female Award: Maria Zazueta Quiroz, Prepa Tec Eugenio Garza Lagüera, Monterrey, Mexico
• Rich Castro Award: Oscar Carrasco, Westlake High School, Austin, Texas
• Mary Ontiveros Ram’s Heart Award: Ayline Medrano, Fort Collins High School, Fort Collins, Colorado
• Ricky Miranda Award: Emily Monrroy, Yes Prep East End, Houston, Texas

House of Representatives awards included: 

• Most Distinguished Representative: Humberto Garibaldi, Colegio Americano de Torreón, Torreón, Mexico
• Most Persuasive Representative: Lorelei Garza, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
• Best Debater: Adelina Jackson, La Salle College Preparatory, Pasadena, California
• Best Author of a Resolution: Zubi Sanchez Parra, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, La Cañada Flintridge, California
• Outstanding Legislator: Zuled Moreno, Cristo Rey San Diego High School, San Diego, California

Senate awards included:

• Most Distinguished Senator: Grecia Tarin, The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
• Most Persuasive Senator: Aaron Guerra, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas
• Best Debater: Matias Mendez, Coronado High School, El Paso, Texas
• Best Author of a Resolution: Erin Morales, Young Women’s Leadership Academy, San Antonio, Texas
• Outstanding Legislator: Liam Kemp, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas

Judicial Branch awards included:

• Outstanding Member: Carson Ryden, El Paso High School, El Paso, Texas
• Best Orator: Isaias Vera, Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, California
• Top Attorney Team: Lauren Edwards, Loretto Academy,  El Paso, Texas, and Addie Resendez, Incarnate Word High School, San Antonio, Texas
• Attorney Finalists: Fiona Blackwell, Coronado High School, El Paso, Texas, and Gianna Landin, Franklin High School, El Paso, Texas

Passed Resolutions (with authors)

The Youth Cooking Corner (Lela Summers, Young Women’s Leadership Academy, San Antonio, Texas)

The Hispanic Youth Career Mentorship Program (Andres Smolensky, Greenhill School, Addison, Texas)

Opportunity Acknowledgment Within Brackenridge High School (Simon Aguirre III, Brackenridge High School, San Antonio, Texas)

Assets in Action (Ava Abrego, Glenda Dawson High School, Pearland, Texas) 

Growing the Business Leaders of the RGV Youth Initiative (Cyrah Crow, Weslaco East High School, Weslaco, Texas) 

Inspiring Minds Through Mentorship & Action (Maria Jose Zazueta Quiroz, Prepa Tec Eugenio Garza Lagüera, Monterrey, Mexico) 

The Intergenerational Tech-Industry Exchange Act (Lucas Smith, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas)

Despertar De Nuevo (Renata Felix, Coronado High School, El Paso, Texas)

The Linguistic Bridging Club (Aaron Guerra, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas)

The Texas Great Debate is made possible in part by support from the Bezos Family Foundation.

Vladimir Lora Pardo contributed to reporting on this story.