by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC
The Student Organization of Latinos’ at Kansas City Kansas Community College recently traveled to Chicago, Ill., to participate in a leadership development conference.
Nadia Vallecillo and Maria G. Hernandez attended the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute in Chicago Feb. 17 to 21. Their adviser Katie Jones, who is also the coordinator of the Intercultural Center at KCKCC, traveled with them to participate in the work sessions.
USHLI works to empower the Latino community and similarly disenfranchised groups by promoting education, leadership development, unity and non-partisan civic participation.
High school and college students from across the U.S. gathered to attend workshops lead by Latino leaders representing 40 states. The organization is led by Juan Andrade Jr., who holds a doctorate degree in the education field, and is one of only two Latinos to receive a presidential medal. In 2011, he became only the fourth Latino in history to be decorated by both the Mexican and U.S. governments, when he received the Ohtli Award. This is the highest honor Mexico can present to a civilian not living in Mexico.
This year, some of the workshop favorites were “Leadership Starts from Within: Latinos and Emotional Intelligence” by Isaura Gonzalez, CEO and founder of Latina Mastermind and “The ABC Principle – Awareness Begins Change” by Shayla Rivera, president of Funny Rocket Scientist Inc.
“We also had the opportunity to hear Latino keynote speakers spanning from the inventor of Flaming Hot Cheetos to a NASA astronaut,” Jones said. “Our KCKCC SOL members enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from around the nation and be inspired by Latino leaders from around the world.”
For more information about the Student Organization of Latinos at KCKCC, contact Katie Jones at 913-288-7375 or by email at [email protected].
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.