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National Hispanic Institute facts for kids

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National Hispanic Institute logo.svg
Founded 1979
Founder Ernesto Nieto
Type Non-profit education organization
Focus Leadership and education
Location
Area served
 United States, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic
Key people
 Ernesto Nieto
Founder and President
Gloria De Leon
Co-founder and Senior Executive Vice President
Nicole Nieto
Senior Vice President
Julio Cotto
Senior Vice President
Chris Nieto
Senior Vice President
Efrain Cordova
Director of Business
Revenue (2014)
 $1,829,689
Expenses (2014) $1,676,079

The National Hispanic Institute (NHI) is a group that helps young Hispanic people become leaders. It's a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't aim to make money. NHI started in Texas in 1979. Its main goal was to help the United States by developing leaders from the Hispanic/Latino community.

Today, NHI is the largest Latino youth organization in the U.S. It has grown into an international group with over 85,000 former students around the world. NHI also works with many well-known colleges and universities.

NHI helps young people by doing research on leadership and education. It works with schools, colleges, and over 3,000 talented young people and their families each year. NHI is different from other groups because it focuses on the strengths and potential of Hispanic and Latino youth. It doesn't focus on problems or needs. Instead, NHI believes in the talent of these young people and their ability to help their communities and the world.

Based on this idea, NHI creates experiences that help students get involved in their communities. They learn to think, understand different cultures, and connect with others. NHI pays for its work using money from community projects, not from government or charity. Its main office is in Maxwell, Texas, near Austin, Texas. NHI also has a Leadership Service Center at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

How NHI Helps Young Leaders Grow

Since 1981, NHI has chosen talented young people for its leadership and learning programs. These programs challenge students to think differently about Hispanic and Latino communities. NHI's programs aim for four main things:

  • New View of Culture: Students learn that Hispanic culture is strong, lively, and important worldwide, not just a small part of society.
  • Purpose of Education: Students see their education as a way to guide and improve their community's fairness, wealth, and skills, rather than just solving problems.
  • Global Connection: Students learn that Latinos from different countries are connected by shared history and language, forming a worldwide culture.
  • Excitement for Leadership: Students feel excited to bring new energy and ideas to American and global society through their leadership.

NHI's leadership programs are held at well-known universities. These universities are part of NHI's special group called the NHI College Register. Programs have been held in many U.S. states like Texas, Arizona, and New York. They have also taken place in other countries like Mexico, Panama, and Spain.

Leadership Programs for High Schoolers

The Great Debate

(For students going into 9th or 10th grade)

The Great Debate brings together 150 to 300 students. They discuss important topics for the Latino community's growth and leadership. NHI wants young people to improve how they express ideas, solve challenges, work in teams, and compete with other top students.

Besides learning about community issues, students gain a support network. This includes NHI alumni, who are former participants and now volunteer as mentors and coaches. These volunteers spend many hours helping students get ready for leadership. Universities also provide their campuses and facilities to support these programs. As a Great Debate student, you can also volunteer as a mentor, get invited to Celebración, and connect with the NHI College Register.

Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ)

(For students going into 10th or 11th grade, or 11th or 12th grade)

This program lets young people learn how to lead and create big organizations. Students form their own youth government and suggest new community plans and projects. Since the first LDZ in Austin, Texas, in 1982, students from many U.S. states and Latin American countries have joined.

Each program hosts 150 to 200 students. Experienced NHI college students, graduate volunteers, and adult professionals lead and supervise the programs.

Collegiate World Series (CWS)

(For students going into 11th or 12th grade)

NHI knows that high school seniors soon become independent adults. The CWS helps students get ready for this big change. They learn to handle emotions, manage money, use their time well, understand different cultures, and make important life choices.

For five days, the CWS guides students into adulthood and its responsibilities. The program uses "Inquiry Based Learning." This means students ask questions and investigate to plan their next few years. The CWS is the most serious and thought-provoking of NHI's high school programs. It also tests students' ability to turn challenges into solutions.

Celebración

Celebración is NHI's special event each year. High school and college students are invited to a four-day experience. They learn about social entrepreneurship, which means creating new ways to help communities. This event helps them continue their leadership training.

About 450 high school students, 100 college students, and 100 alumni attend Celebración. They discuss how to further NHI's work. The event also includes a college fair, an awards dinner, student performances, and chances to meet others who work to change lives.

John F. Lopez Fellowship (JFL)

(For college students)

The JFL Fellowship helps talented college students learn how to bring communities together and work at high-level positions. Fellows share their growing knowledge with others. As counselors, researchers, trainers, and planners, they gain hands-on experience. This helps them understand what future leaders need to do. The fellowship is named after NHI alumnus John F. Lopez, Jr. It aims to bring out students' spirit, creativity, and talent.

Digital Leadership Experiences

Because of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, NHI started online versions of its Great Debate and CWS programs. These were called Digital Learning Experiences (GDx and CWSx). They also included online talks for all students in the 2020 summer programs, especially for LDZ students. In summer 2020, students took part in three GDx programs and two CWSx programs.

Researching Leadership and Education

NHI does its own research on leadership and education every year. It does this through its Collaborative Research Center (CRC), its Leadership Service Center (LSC) at Villanova University, and its partnership with the Center for Hispanic Studies at Southwestern University.

Collaborative Research Center

The CRC allows NHI to do research with different community groups. This research looks at young Latinos from various backgrounds: those from wealthy families, city areas, country areas, and immigrant families. This helps NHI understand what these groups think and what their trends are. They study things like what students hope for in their education, what jobs they want, their parents' backgrounds, how they feel about the Latino community, and how much they get involved.

The CRC's research is mostly for NHI's own use. However, recently, others have asked for NHI's research. NHI's studies now help colleges reach out to and enroll Latino students. They also help colleges keep more students until they graduate. The CRC is also collecting data on how U.S. and global Latino communities can stay strong as their populations grow.

Partnership with Southwestern University

In February 2008, Southwestern University and NHI announced they would work together. They launched a partnership with the Center for Hispanic Studies at Southwestern University. This partnership aims to research and evaluate programs that prepare Hispanic youth for college. The center wants to study how community efforts, like NHI's leadership and education programs, make a difference. This partnership is expected to boost NHI's ongoing research through its CRC.

NHI College Register

The NHI College Register started in 1989. It's a group of special four-year colleges and universities that work closely with NHI. Their goal is to develop new Hispanic and Latino leaders who will make a positive impact on the global Latino community.

The College Register wants more Latino students to attend these notable four-year universities. It also works to help and develop the Hispanic/Latino community on college campuses. Since it began, the College Register and NHI have created programs that help reach Latino families. They have also made member universities well-known among college-bound Hispanic/Latino youth. And they have helped strong leaders grow among Hispanic/Latino students on campuses.

Member Universities

Here are some of the universities that are part of NHI's College Register:

NHI's Achievements

NHI has helped many students succeed:

  • Most NHI students (9 out of 10) get accepted into their top college choices.
  • About 98% of NHI students go on to a four-year university.
  • Around 90% of NHI students finish their college degree in 4 to 5 years.
  • Over 70% of NHI students receive money for college through scholarships.

NHI's History

  • NHI was started in 1979 by Ernesto Nieto and Gloria de Leon in Austin, Texas.
  • The first main office was at Concordia University Texas.
  • In 1981, NHI created the Young Leaders Conference (YLC) at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
  • The Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ) was created in 1983 at Concordia University Texas.
  • In 1985, NHI's main office moved to Maxwell, Texas, outside of Austin.
  • In 2001, Ernesto Nieto published his book, Third Reality: Crafting a 21st Century Hispanic/Latino Agenda.
  • NHI celebrated its 25th anniversary in July 2001.
  • In October 2004, NHI opened its Leadership Service Center at Villanova University.
  • NHI announced its Center for Hispanic Studies at Southwestern University in February 2008.
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a well-known politician, worked as an Educational Director at NHI.

Founders of NHI

Ernesto Nieto and Gloria de Leon are the people who started the National Hispanic Institute. Ernesto Nieto has been the president since NHI began in 1979. Before that, he worked in different management jobs for the state and federal governments. In 1979, he decided to leave government work to create his vision of a leadership institute for Hispanic/Latino youth.

Ernesto Nieto has received many awards for his work. These include the Eagle Leadership Award from the El Paso, Texas City Council and the Meritorious Service Award from Southwestern University. He also has an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Texas Wesleyan University. Both Southwestern University and Jefferson Davis High School have honored him as a "Distinguished Alumnus." Other awards include Southwestern University's Citation of Merit Award for Community Service and the Human Relations Award.

Images for kids

  • National Hispanic Institute (logo)

    NHI original logo

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