National Hispanic Institute
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The National Hispanic Institute, or NHI, is a non-profit organization that targets Latino youth to help them become leaders and to assist them in the college admissions process. It was established in 1979 by Ernesto Nieto in Maxwell, Texas. For the past 28 years, the National Hispanic Institute has attracted high ability Latino youth in leadership training programs that
- nurture cultural identity, confidence and the resolve to succeed;
- strengthen personal effectiveness and prospects for success;
- heighten intellectual capabilities for college and beyond;
- encourage equity building as a means to leverage community assets;
- provide a framework to evaluate self-potential and leadership opportunities in the Latino community.
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[edit] History
NHI was founded in 1979 by Ernesto Nieto in Austin, TX. After officing at Concordia College and other venues in Austin, Ernesto moved the National Headquarters to Maxwell, Texas in 1985.
[edit] Founder
Ernesto Nieto is the founder of the National Hispanic Institute and has served as President since the organization's inception in 1979. Born in Houston, Texas, Mr. Nieto attended Jefferson Davis High School and entered the University of Houston on an athletic scholarship. Nieto later transferred to Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education in 1964 with a specialization in special education. After working on his graduate degree at the University of Houston, he served in various management positions in both the state and federal government.
In 1979, Mr. Nieto left government to pursue his vision of creating a leadership institute for Latino youth. Twenty eight years later, under his leadership, the National Hispanic Institute has worked with over 120 institutions of higher education and 80,000 high ability youth from across the nation. In addition to his duties as chief executive officer of the National Hispanic Institute, Mr. Nieto serves on the Board of Trustees of Southwestern University as well as on the Board of Visitors. In 2001, he authored the book Third Reality: Crafting a 21st Century Latino Agenda.
Among his numerous recognitions, Ernesto Nieto has received the Eagle Leadership Award by the El Paso City Council, the Meritorious Service Award by Southwestern University, and honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Nieto also has been honored as a "Distinguished Alumnus" of both Southwestern University and Jefferson Davis High School. Other awards include the Southwestern University's Citation of Merit Award for Community Service and the Human Relations Award from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling. Ernesto Nieto continues his involvement in the community by serving as a consultant to colleges and universities on Latino student outreach and recruitment. He is the chief curriculum writer for the National Hispanic Institute and creator of Third Reality Publications. Ernesto has appeared in publications and television broadcasts nationwide that include: The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Austin-American Statesman, ABC "World News Tonight," Austin Community College Spotlight, Univision, and Telemundo.
[edit] Mission
The National Hispanic Institute is both national and international in scope as it reaches out to work with high-ability youth. After NHI was established, there was a realization that the organization had to be different and distinct from other organizations. Today its message continues to be as strong and exciting to the young people whose lives it touches as it is to the staff and hundreds of volunteers who conduct its work.
NHI does not focus on civil rights. It does not advance a reformist view of society nor does it point to existing social problems as the rally-call to civic involvement. The Institute relies neither on government nor private charity to support its efforts. It does not depict Latinos as a community in need of urgent help in order to influence others to support NHI with generous financial gifts.
The National Hispanic Institute is an organization that values the talent of Hispanic youth, the potential they represent to the future of the Latino community and the extended sectors of American society, and provides private community settings through which they may become intellectually, culturally, and socially engaged in determining the roles they wish to play in shaping tomorrow’s world.
High school youth who participate in NHI programs are intellectually challenged to alter old, strident views that have historically framed their understanding of Latinos in the past, present, and future.
- Instead of continuing the popularly held social notions of a people at the bottom of the human scale, students are presented with a new view - one of an energetic, dynamic, and powerful intertwined culture of global dimensions and potential.
- Instead of perceiving their educational development as being driven by the need to champion the cause downtrodden communities, students develop an appreciation for the roles that intellectually, social, and cultural advancement play in guiding the equity, wealth, and skill-building trajectory of the future Latino community.
- Instead of viewing themselves as a collection of individuals from different nationalities, countries and backgrounds, students embrace the concept of a world-wide culture of Latinos tied together by a commonality of historical events, experiences, and language.
- Instead of being guided by an urgency to avoid causing potential harm to the American quality of life, students’ calling to leadership is invigorated by the excitement of supplying new strength, vigor, and promise to the American experience.
Ultimately, students not only sense a deep appreciation and value for the roles they are being asked to play in the future of the Latino community, they also realize the importance of making excellence at the highest levels possible a crucial element in their personal and professional development. These were the principal beliefs that guided the thinking and vision of the founders over two decades ago and continue to influence the work of the Institute today.
[edit] Facts
- 98% of NHI Alumni enroll at 4-year colleges after graduating from high school.
- Approximately 90% of all students complete their undergraduate degree within 4 to 5 years.
- Over 66% of NHI Alumni plan to pursue graduate studies in medicine, law, business, communication and natural sciences.
- NHI continues to celebrate Over 28 Years of Latino leadership training.
[edit] Location
The National Hispanic Institute's main offices are located in Maxwell, Texas (approximately 30 minutes southeast of Austin) in a Victorian House sometimes referred to as "The Mansion."
[edit] Programs
The National Hispanic Institute offers the following programs: the Young Leaders Conference (YLC), the Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ), Collegiate World Series (CWS), Mexico Language Program (MLP), Discover Argentina Program, and the Discover Spain Program (DSP). NHI currently has programs in the continental United States in Texas, Illinois, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington State, New York, and Indiana. It also offers several leadership programs in Spain, Mexico, Argentina and Puerto Rico.
