kids encyclopedia robot

National Hispanic Institute facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
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 an international organization that helps young Hispanic and Latino people become future leaders. It was started in 1979 in Texas. NHI grew to be the largest youth organization for Latinos in the United States. Today, it is a global group with over 85,000 former students and many well-known colleges and universities that work with it.

NHI does research on leadership and education. It works with schools and universities. Each year, it helps over 3,000 high-achieving young people and their families. NHI believes in the talent of Hispanic and Latino youth. It helps them get involved in their communities. NHI funds its work through community efforts. It does not rely on government money or charity.

NHI's main office is in Maxwell, Texas. It also has a Leadership Service Center at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. It partners with the Center for Hispanic Studies at Southwestern University in Texas.

What NHI Does

NHI helps young people develop their leadership skills and learn more. Since 1981, NHI has chosen talented youth for its programs. These programs challenge students to see Hispanic and Latino culture in a new, positive way.

NHI's leadership programs aim for four main goals:

  • Students learn that Hispanic and Latino culture is strong and has global importance.
  • Students understand that their education helps guide their community's future.
  • Students learn to see themselves as part of a worldwide Latino culture. This culture is connected by shared history and language.
  • Students feel excited to bring new strength and promise to American and global society.

NHI programs are held at well-known universities. These universities are part of the NHI College Register. Programs have been held in many U.S. states. They have also taken place in Argentina, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

Leadership Programs for High School Students

The Great Debate

This program is for students in 9th and 10th grade. Each conference has 150 to 300 students. They discuss important topics for the Latino community. NHI helps students learn to express their ideas and work in teams. They also learn to compete with other top students. Participants gain a support network of NHI alumni. These alumni are former students who volunteer as mentors and coaches.

Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ)

This program is for students in 10th and 11th grade, or 11th and 12th grade. Young people learn how to manage and create large organizations. They run their own youth government. They propose ideas for future community projects. Since 1982, students from many U.S. states and Latin American countries have joined this program. Each program hosts 150 to 200 students. College students and adult professionals lead and supervise these programs.

Collegiate World Series (CWS)

This program is for students in 11th and 12th grade. It helps high school seniors get ready for college and adult life. Students learn to handle emotions, manage money, and make important decisions. For five days, CWS guides students into becoming independent adults. They use a method called Inquiry Based Learning (IBL). This helps students explore and plan their next few years. CWS is the most serious and thought-provoking of NHI's high school programs. It helps students turn challenges into solutions.

Celebración

Celebración is NHI's special event. It invites high school and college students to learn about community social entrepreneurship. This means learning how to start projects that help the community. About 450 high school students and 100 college students attend. Another 100 alumni also come to discuss NHI's mission. The event includes a college fair, an awards banquet, and student entertainment. It's a chance for everyone to meet others who work to help change lives.

John F. Lopez Fellowship (JFL)

This fellowship is for college students. It helps high-achieving students learn to organize communities. They also learn to work at high-level positions. Fellows share their knowledge with others. They work as counselors, researchers, and planners. This gives them real-world experience. The fellowship is named after NHI alumnus John F. Lopez, Jr. It aims to bring out creativity and talent.

Digital Leadership Experiences

Because of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, NHI started online versions of its programs. These are called Digital Learning Experiences. The Great Debate became GDx, and the Collegiate World Series became CWSx. There was also a special online series for LDZ students. In the summer of 2020, students took part in several GDx and CWSx programs.

Research on Leadership and Education

NHI does its own research on leadership and education. It works through its Collaborative Research Center (CRC). It also works with its Leadership Service Center at Villanova University. And it partners 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 studies Latino youth from various backgrounds. It looks at their education goals, career interests, and how involved they are in their communities. This helps NHI understand the thoughts and trends of these groups. The research helps colleges reach out to Latino families. It also helps colleges keep more Latino students. The CRC also studies how Latino communities can stay strong as their populations grow.

Partnership with Southwestern University

In February 2008, Southwestern University and NHI started a partnership. They created the Center for Hispanic Studies at Southwestern University. This center researches programs that prepare Hispanic youth for college. It helps study how community efforts, like NHI's programs, impact leadership and education. This partnership helps NHI do even more research.

College Register

NHI's College Register started in 1989. It is a group of selected four-year colleges and universities. These schools work with NHI to help develop new Hispanic and Latino leaders. These leaders will make a difference in the global Latino community.

The College Register wants more Latino students to attend these notable four-year universities. It also supports the growth of the Hispanic/Latino community on college campuses. The College Register and NHI have created programs to reach Latino families. They have also helped make member universities well-known among college-bound Hispanic/Latino youth. They also help develop strong leaders among Hispanic/Latino students on campus.

Member Institutions

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

NHI's Achievements

NHI has helped many students succeed:

  • NHI students get accepted into 9 out of 10 schools they apply to.
  • 98% of NHI students go on to a four-year university.
  • 90% of NHI students graduate from college in 4 to 5 years.
  • Over 70% of NHI students receive financial scholarships for college.

History of NHI

  • NHI was started in 1979 by Ernesto Nieto and Gloria de Leon in Austin, Texas.
  • Its first main office was at Concordia University Texas.
  • NHI created the Young Leaders Conference (YLC) in 1981.
  • The Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ) was created in 1983.
  • NHI's main offices moved to Maxwell, Texas, in 1985.
  • NHI celebrated its 25th anniversary in July 2001.
  • In October 2004, NHI opened its Leadership Service Center at Villanova University.
  • In February 2008, NHI announced its Center for Hispanic Studies at Southwestern University.
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 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 1979. Before that, he worked in government. In 1979, he decided to create NHI to help young Hispanic/Latino people become leaders.

Ernesto Nieto has received many awards for his work. These include the Eagle Leadership Award and the Meritorious Service Award. He also has an honorary degree from Texas Wesleyan University. He has been honored as a "Distinguished Alumnus" by Southwestern University and Jefferson Davis High School.

Images for kids

  • National Hispanic Institute (logo)

    NHI original logo

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
National Hispanic Institute Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.