Last summer, two W+H students attended the National Hispanic Institute's (NHI) North East Great Debate (NEGD) summer leadership program at St. Francis University in Loretto, PA. Liany Maldonado ’25 and Ancel De Jesús ‘25, who attended the NEGD last summer, learned about community equity building via a debate tournament in which they were trained by NHI alumni whose experiences range from seasoned professionals to college students and high school juniors.
This summer, the number of W+H students attending NHI programs has increased threefold. Ancel and Liany are being joined by Giselle Rodriguez '25 as they attend NHI's Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (American LDZ) at St. Mary's College of Maryland. In addition to further developing their leadership and community building skills with students from various regions of the East Coast, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, Giselle, Liany, and Ancel will also get to experience Washington, DC and participate in a private college fair specifically curated for American LDZ participants.
W+H NEGD participants currently include the following members of the Class of 2026: Nijiany Genao, Giannalise Rodriguez and Mackias Ysaac. They will be joined on the St. Francis campus by NHI alumna and NHI East Coast Chief Operating Officer, Ana De León, and junior volunteer Emi Calef '33.
Students interested in learning more about participating in NHI summer programs should reach out to Ms. De León at adeleon@WHschool.org as soon as possible. Ms. De León and the NHI East Coast office are currently offering financial assistance to help offset program fees.