By Ana De León
This past July, LA students Liany Maldonado ’25 and Ancel De Jesús ‘25 participated in the National Hispanic Institute’s (NHI) NorthEast Great Debate (NEGD) at St. Francis University in Loretto, PA.
For 43 years, NHI has been creating experiences which prepare high-achieving high school and college-age youth for community leadership roles that advance the quality of life of the Latinx community. NHI launched its first program from its Headquarters in Texas and quickly expanded to the southwest, midwest, west coast and, 20 years ago this year, to the east coast, and ultimately to Latin America.
As participants of NHI’s NEGD, Ancel and Liany 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. Both LA students were able to collaborate with students from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, and the Dominican Republic.
Ancel and Liany were members of the 2022 NEGD Championship Team, Latino Leaders United. Ancel competed in extemporaneous speaking, while Liany competed in cross-examination. Reflecting on her experience, Liany said, “I was able to meet many new people who were super sweet and heartwarming. I was able to learn a lot about what happens in the Hispanic community.”
Ancel, who earned the prestigious Extemporaneous Speaking All-State Award for most points earned, commented, “My experience at the Great Debate was very stressful but fun at the same time. I'm more quiet and reserved, so I definitely had to step out of my comfort zone.”
Liany and Ancel encourage their classmates to participate in NHI East Coast programs. Ana De León, LA Associate Director of Admission and NEGD COO, summed up the experience: “As an NHI alumna, it was incredible to watch Ancel and Liany navigate the challenges of NEGD. It was amazing to watch them figure things out and discover so much about our culture, but more importantly, to discover so much about who they are as individuals and the role they play in the Latinx community. I’m looking forward to watching them develop through other NHI programs.”
The Great Debate is one of NHI’s flagship student leadership programs for students who have just completed ninth grade. Steven Hernandez, NHI East Coast Project Administrator and NEGD Educational Director, cites the East Coast Project as a “present source of leadership development for 20 years,” and added, “I’m honored to be a part of this legacy and see it continue to grow with participation from students like Liany and Ancel.”