An estimated 3,120 middle school and high school students attended our Student Leadership Series events in Topeka and Shawnee Mission, KS and Kansas City, MO on September 12-15.  The SLS events focused on helping students in middle school transition into high school and making sure that high school students graduate and pursue post-secondary education or training.  A Leadership Summit for college students was also held in Kansas City, MO.

Our featured speakers for the middle schools and high schools were Jimmy Cabrera from Houston, and Joaquin Zihuatanejo from Dallas. 

USHLI appreciates the leadership and assistance provided by the Kansas Hispanic and Latino-American Affairs Commission in Topeka, Shawnee Mission School District in Shawnee Mission, KS, and Latinos of Tomorrow and Guadalupe Centers, Inc. in Kansas City, MO.  The partnership of EXPO Americas and the assistance of the Young Latino Professionals of Greater Kansas City, the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City with the Leadership Summit is especially appreciated.

This was our 25th SLS event of 2012, bringing the total number of students, parents, and professionals served to 35,865 in 18 states.   

The primary goal of the Student Leadership Series is to ensure that every Latino family has a student that is one of the following: the 1st student to graduate high school; the 1st student to enroll in post-secondary education or training; the 1st student to graduate post-secondary education or training. The USHLI 2012 Student Leadership Series officially launched February 16th and consists of Stay-in-School Rallies for middle school and junior high students, Career & College Recruitment Fairs for high school students, Regional Leadership Summits for college students, and, whenever possible, Parent Leadership Training and Professional Development events.