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Over 80 high school seniors in Omaha came together for a final time to celebrate the completion of USHLI's Grassroots Leadership Development Program (GLDP). The 80 students are all successfully graduating high school and pursuing some kind of post-secondary education or training. All eligible students are also registered to vote. One student will be receiving the Gates Millennium Scholarship. All students helped raise money and attended the USHLI national conference in Chicago. Dr. Juan Andrade, USHLI president, USHLI Board member Bob Campos and some former student participants attended the celebration.
The 9-week program, sponsored by Ford Motor Company, consisted of three weeks of meetings with city officials, three weeks of meetings with school officials, and three weeks of meetings with county officials. The nine weeks of dialogue ranged from the mechanics of how local, county and school governments work and how to make them work more effectively, to educating officials on the needs of the Hispanic community. The discussions included but were not limited to city ordinances, finances, personnel, environmental quality, health, and public safety; school policies pertaining to finance, personnel, parental involvement, curriculum, and student services; county issues pertaining to the various departments, law enforcement, revenue, and public participation in the budget process.
 Since USHLI expanded the GLDP four years ago to include high school seniors, 320 Omaha students have completed the program and most of them are currently attending college or have already completed their post-secondary education or training. Charo Rangel and Toni Hernandez, Omaha Public Schools employees, have organized the GLDP each of the last four years in Omaha on a volunteer basis. "GLDP made me realize that I can do so much more and make a difference. We need to come together and become one so we can make a change."-GLDP graduate |
