National Hispanic Institute Celebrates 2026 Las Vegas Leadership Development Program Participants with Support from Sands Cares

On August 3, National Hispanic Institute (NHI), the nation’s leading organization for fostering future Latino leaders, hosted a celebration to honor the 53 Las Vegas high school students who participated in its leadership development curriculum this year. NHI’s transformative programs in Las Vegas are underwritten with funding from Sands Cares.

Since 1979, NHI has provided high school students with curriculum that aims to cultivate future civic and business leaders by developing their skills in communication, community advocacy and policy-making, while preparing them for success in higher education. The centerpiece of each of the organization’s programs is an intense week-long summer session designed around team-oriented, interactive learning and practice of target skills.

“Our Las Vegas celebration culminated the student experience with NHI this year, and for many, it has been a multiyear journey,” Nicole Nieto, executive vice president of NHI, said. “Thanks to Sands Cares support, Las Vegas high school students are able to take advantage of unique developmental opportunities that transform them into leaders by building their confidence, connections and skills. By the end of each summer, they’ve become different people – ready to take new steps in leading in their environments, with many hungry to engage in civic life and community advocacy.”

For the past two years, the Las Vegas NHI journey has begun with a program for rising freshmen. As preparation for entry into high school, the Heroes, Heroines and Legends (HHL) program leverages strength-building in storytelling to prepare students for NHI’s progressive leadership development programs during their sophomore, junior and senior years in high school.

From June 14-18 at Global Community High School, HHL participants researched family stories and learned how to organize and relay compelling narratives. Students presented their stories multiple times to gather feedback from peers and mentors before delivering final stories to the full group of students, mentors and family members on the program’s last day.

The process challenges them to search within themselves and family to find strengths and bravery, emphasizing asset-based thinking, which is the foundation of NHI’s curriculum. As with all of NHI’s programs, previous student participants served as mentors for HHL students, enabling mutual development.

“It was amazing watching participants open up and share their unique stories and ideas,” said Brayan Tineo, a student mentor who participated in NHI sessions from 2023-2025. “By the final day, you always see a profound change in the way they viewed themselves and the very foundation of where they came from.”

Claire Nestor, another HHL mentor who culminated three years of participation in NHI’s programs in 2025 said, “HHL is a great introduction into what NHI is because students can build a baseline for leadership and focus on finding their voices. Many students find comfort in sharing their family stories but are pushed and challenged to present in front of groups so they can learn useful speaking skills.”

Once in high school, students enter NHI’s program as rising sophomores to prepare for the Great Debate, which emphasizes communications skills as a tool for self-advancement and community change. Rising juniors participate in the Lorenzo de Zavala (LDZ) Youth Legislative Session, which exposes students to governance, organizational development and policy design, and rising seniors participate in the Collegiate World Series, which has a dual focus of preparing students for college admissions and community leadership.

Each program emphasizes asset-based thinking and trains youth to view themselves as capable of affecting change through their own resources and strengths. Las Vegas students reflected on these goals and the impact of their experiences:

Scotty Hernandez, junior, Equipo Academy Prep, Great Debate participant

“With the experience I got from the Great Debate, I do feel I can use it my everyday life because I learned how to advocate, how to speak in public, and how to give my opinion on a certain topic. With that experience, I’m able to speak up when something isn’t right. I’m also able to speak for people who can’t speak for themselves, so I’m able to advocate for my community as well.

“I’ve never experienced anything like NHI before. I came from the mindset that I didn’t have the capability to debate or speak in public. But the Great Debate showed me that I have a side of me that I’ve never seen before. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and be a bright and positive person.

Luke Messner, sophomore, West Career & Technical Academy, Great Debate Participant

“This [program] has helped me so much; it’s helped me build confidence, and my public speaking has improved. For school projects and positions, I’m able to speak in front of crowds more comfortably now. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like this before. It’s truly life-changing.”

“I think anyone who is considering NHI should go. There’s so much to learn and achieve, and it would really show you how much potential you have. You will gain so much confidence and many skills. You’ll learn a lot and build friendships that will last a long time.”

Joshua Casasola, junior, Advanced Technologies Academy, Lorenzo De Zavala participant, Great Debate mentor

“When I went to NHI the first time, it was truly life-changing. I met so many people. I made so many connections with the staff and went pretty far with my own competition. With other programs, they tell you to be a leader, but they don’t teach you the skills you need. NHI differs in that – the organization really gives [participants] a framework in how to learn, and that leads to having introspection on their own identities and what they are good at, which they can take back to their own communities.

“I think something really important to mention is that NHI markets itself to the student perspective. But the staff experience is so important too. Great Debate and LDZ [programs] are where you’re taught something, but when you’re staff you get an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned and to take it back to your community. My biggest moment when I was staff at Great Debate was applying what I learned at LDZ by using the assets of the students on my team so they could find and embrace their identity and bond with each other.”

Sands has underwritten NHI’s Las Vegas program since 2022, enabling transformative learning experiences for more than 280 Las Vegas students. The company’s support for NHI is part of the Sands Cares focus on education and building the workforce of the future. To learn more about these initiatives, read Sands’ latest ESG report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/.