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Baltimore-The Maryland Hispanic Youth Symposium, held at Towson University July 9-12, has gained a host of new sponsors, volunteers, and community partners over the past month. The Baltimore and larger Maryland community have enthusiastically collaborated on ensuring that local students will meet Hispanic heroes, interact with model college students, and obtain knowledge on the college application process.
In addition to hosting the symposium on its campus, Towson University will be offering a $500 grant renewable for 4 years, totaling up to $2,000, to any of the 1,300 students who attend one of the seven symposia held across the country this summer. Eligible students must apply and get accepted to Towson University. The generosity of Towson is sure to benefit students who will walk away inspired to attend college while more able to finance their education.
Winners of competitions in Art, Speech, Essay, and Talent will receive scholarships from the Hispanic College Fund-a total of $14,000 will be awarded. Towson University will add to the jackpot by offering up to $2,000 in matching scholarships to competition winners.
The importance of voting
Voto Latino, the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI), and the Hispanic College Fund are partnering to get Maryland HYS students registered to vote. Those students who are and will be turning 18 by November 4 will register at the symposium with the help of a registrar provided by USHLI. All students, regardless of age at the time of the symposium, will learn why every vote counts in an election and why it is important to engage in local and national politics. As national attention continues to focus on the Hispanic vote leading up to the 2008 Presidential Election, students will see the power of voting come to life in November. In order to ensure that students stay engaged in the voting process after the symposium, students will be directed to use Voto Latino’s user friendly online voter registration mechanism.
“After 26 years and with over 2 million registered voters, USHLI knows the impact that face-to-face voter education has on our community,” said Cesar Moreno, Associate Executive Director for the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute. “This direct contact with students helps make all the difference. Students not only understand how to register to vote but why it’s important to encourage their family members and peers to register as well. We are thrilled to collaborate with Voto Latino and the Hispanic College Fund for this important cause.”
Interacting with students
Prominent Hispanic leaders in Maryland will interact one-on-one with students while serving as inspiring role models. Hispanic leaders will share stories of how they triumphed over adversity and persevered when faced with an obstacle. Students will be able to ask the heroes questions in an encouraging environment.
“When I speak to the students, I want them to be inspired by my story of success,” said Ruby Stemmle, Executive Director for the Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs and Hispanic Youth Symposium volunteer. “In order for them to believe success is possible, however, they have to relate to me and see themselves in who I was as a teen. While I like sharing stories of working for the Governor, I make it a point to start at the beginning, growing up in Columbia and later transitioning into a successful career in the U.S. My message is always, ‘If I can do it, you can too.’”
“Ernie G”, a renowned Hispanic comedian, will also interact with students while serving as a motivational speaker. The first to graduate from his family, he demonstrates the importance of education and perseverance. Students relate to his comedy because he shares his personal experience as a Latino growing up in Los Angeles.
The Hispanic Youth Symposium Alumni Association members will serve as spokespeople at this year’s Maryland symposium by sharing with students how HYS made a positive impact in their lives. The group, created in March 2008, consists of former HYS participants who meet twice a month to strategize on getting HYS alumni to give back to their communities.
“I participated in the Greater Washington Hispanic Youth Symposium in 2007. It really did make a positive difference in my life, so when I had the opportunity to work with other students who were affected in the same way, I couldn’t turn it down,” said Daniel Hernandez, Hispanic College Fund Alumni Association Secretary. “So far the alumni group has about 300 members and will keep growing. We look forward to meeting students in Maryland and hope to recruit them after HYS.”
Toastmasters International has provided the alumni association with free workshops on public speaking, interacting with the media, and negotiations.
Supporting the symposium
Sponsors of the Maryland symposium include Lockheed Martin, Kaiser Permanente, Marriott, Sallie Mae, and Northrop Grumman. New sponsors who have joined the effort to make HYS a success include MasterCard, Southwest Airlines, and Telemundo.
Kenneth J. Disken, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Lockheed Martin said, “My Corporation has a tremendous need for talent in terms of quantity and quality…we have become much more aware of our responsibility to invest time and resources in developing the workforce of the future, especially with regard to youth traditionally underrepresented in engineering and science. The bottom line is that HCF is a terrific investment.”
Lockheed Martin runs a unique engineering workshop. Students are divided into teams to construct an airplane out of legos. Given a set of rules and instructions, teams compete in order to learn about engineering. In addition to having fun, students learn the value of problem solving, creative thinking, and team work.
La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity Inc. (LUL), a national Latino based multicultural fraternal organization, will be providing 35-40 volunteers to symposia on the east coast. In 2006 the fraternity began its involvement with the Hispanic College Fund when its members, known as Hermanos, first volunteered at the Greater Washington Hispanic Youth Symposium as part of their regional community service. The relationship has since been solidified into a partnership and continues to grow with each subsequent year.
“LUL’s relationship with HCF allows our Hermanos to exercise their power as university and professional role models to encourage Latino students to not only think about going to college and getting a degree, but also about how they may use those experiences to become involved in helping their community and society at large,” said George Laws García, LUL’s National Director of Community Service.
The Social Security Administration has also donated time to HYS. Felicita Sola-Carter, Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Social Security Administration (SSA) will be speaking during the symposium’s closing ceremony. In addition, over 100 volunteers from the SSA employee volunteer network have come forward to assist with the symposium.
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), a long time partner of the Hispanic College Fund, will provide career development workshops for all resident assistants who lead HYS student groups on campus. HHF will also provide peer role models who will speak to students about their personal journey from internship to professional career.
On June 6, the Maryland Hispanic Youth Symposium website was launched. Students, volunteers, sponsors, and anyone who wants to learn more about the symposium can find all they need to know on the site.
Registration for the Maryland Hispanic Youth Symposium is now closed to students but open to anyone who would like to volunteer.
To visit the Maryland Hispanic Youth Symposium website, please go to: www.hispanicyouth.org-md
About the Hispanic College Fund
Founded in 1993, the Hispanic College Fund is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., with a mission to develop the next generation of Hispanic professionals. For 15 years HCF has provided scholarships and, since its founding, has incorporated internship and mentoring programs for students throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The result is a career pipeline of talented and career-driven Hispanics who are trained in the fields of business, science, technology, and math.
The Hispanic College Fund has an annual budget of $6 million with 20 full-time employees. In 2006, the Hispanic College Fund received the Brillante award for “Nonprofit of the Year” from the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, and in 2007 was recognized by USA Today as one of the nation’s top 25 charities.
Website: www.hispanicfund.org
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Contact: Lisa Sandoval, Director of Communications, (202) 296-5400 ext. 117
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