Articles

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 37% of Hispanics do not finish high school, compared to the national average of 15%. In fact, statistics show that overall, Hispanic students do not succeed as well as non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans, or Asians. They have higher dropout rates, lower scores, and fewer college graduates, leading to less involvement in community affairs. However, there are many young Latinos who are dedicated to their own educational success and the empowerment of their communities. An example of this commitment is Michelle Mazaheri, who has worked to encourage Hispanic youth to finish high school and apply to university programs.

After attending the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Líderes Summit for several years and serving as Summit Staff last year in Phoenix, Arizona, Michelle returned home to Oklahoma City inspired to work with Hispanic youth in her community. With a local NCLR affiliate, Latino Community Development Agency, and the Hispanic Student Association at Oklahoma City University, Michelle helped organize the first-ever Latino Youth Leadership Conference. The Conference was held in February 2005 to unite and empower young Latino leaders in Oklahoma City. Its mission was to provide a forum for future leaders of the Hispanic community to come together in a comfortable, open environment to educate, discuss, motivate, and build today’s leaders. Through her experience at the Líderes Summit, Michelle realized how important it is to create interest among Latino high school student leaders and persuade them to continue to develop a strong network on local university campuses.

It is the work of young Latino leaders like Michelle that has motivated Allstate Insurance Company to partner with NCLR to recognize Hispanic youth who are making a difference, specifically through the Líderes de Hoy essay contest. Allstate and NCLR launched the national essay contest to award $5,000 academic scholarships to ten young Latino leaders. The Líderes de Hoy contest provides an opportunity for young Hispanic leaders to share their perspective and experience by submitting an essay on what it means to be a leader in their community. The deadline for the essay contest was July 29, 2005.

Essay contest applications are currently being reviewed. Information about winners will be posted here shortly.