Miami Students are Ready to Lead!

CHCI’s Ready to Lead (R2L) program heated up students in Miami on Saturday, November 14, 2015 at Miami Dade College, North Campus. Now in its seventh year at Miami Dade College, North Campus, CHCI hosted over 280 students representing eighteen area schools and 40 mentors for a college readiness day. The event started with students participating in the MDC North Resource Fair and having an opportunity to learn what the college has to offer for incoming students.

The program was opened by MDC North Campus’ Dean of Students, Georgette Perez, who welcomed them on behalf of the campus and encouraged them to make the most of their day. Participants then broke out into in-depth training sessions in three key areas necessary for college preparation: college planning, financial literacy, and leadership development. Sponsors and members of the community partnered with R2L for the interactive delivery of the three workshop sessions. Workshops were hosted by Marycela Diaz-Unzalu of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – Miami Branch; Fred Rosario, Shantell Maxwell, and Custell Smith from Miami Dade College, North Campus; and our local CHCI alumni, Barbara Ruiz, Carla Santamaria, and Stephany Feijoo. In addition, we had assistance from our Junior Alumni Maynor Loaisiga and Denisse Sandoval who are currently attending high school in the greater Miami area.

We had a great turnout of area professionals and college students who joined us for the hour-long Mentoring Power Hour to share their personal success stories and to demonstrate that achieving a college education is possible. The 40 mentors represented a variety of distinguished organizations and higher education institutions, including: Lambda Theta Phi, Immigration Health Services, Florida International University, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Miami Dade County Public Schools, and staff and students from Miami Dade College, North Campus. Through this session, participants were given the opportunity to speak with individuals who have gone through similar experiences. They were able to seek inspiration through the shared stories and hear firsthand how some of the challenges they face can be overcome.

The event closed with a powerful keynote address from CHCI Alumnus Raul Magdaleno. He empowered the audience by stressing the importance of pursuing an education despite the challenges involved. CHCI is proud to have returned to Miami for another successful R2L event and hopes to continue to educate, motivate, and empower Latino youth in greater Miami area.

This year’s event was made possible through the support of our generous sponsors and partners including Nissan, State Farm, Time Warner Cable, Bank of America, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – Miami Branch. With their support, CHCI was able to impact the lives of young Latinos in the Miami area and empower them to pursue higher education. CHCI is honored to have empowered and served the next generation of Latino leaders.