Approximately 200 of the state’s top Hispanic students in high schools across New York traveled to Albany for a firsthand look at the state legislative process.
Students met with members of the New York State Legislature, New York State Assembly/Senate Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force and New York State Education Department as part of the annual Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute (PR/HYLI).
The Capital District was one of nine student delegations that participated in a mock legislative session in the New York State Assembly chambers. Students debated actual bills that reflect key issues in their communities, such college financial assistance for immigrant students, accelerated graduation options coupled with two year college study, identity theft, and the English Empowerment Act.
The three-day program, which started April 2, also included team building and leadership development, a mock assembly, workshops and a student recognition dinner where scholarship winners were announced. Representative Paul D. Tonko attended the recognition dinner, which was held at the Century House in Latham.
To prepare for leadership institute, students participated in training sessions across the state coordinated through the statewide BETAC network and the New York City Department of Education. Students identified and researched local issues, studied the state legislative process and put into practice parliamentary procedure as they debated bills.
PR/HYLI Assistant Coordinator Lisette Lopez said the leadership program continues the work of the late Angelo Del Toro, a member of the New York State Assembly who died in 1994. Del Toro was influential in helping Hispanic youth understand their civic duty and encouraging them to give back to their communities.
“This leadership program provides students with a unique opportunity to see what they’re capable of. This confidence really opens their eyes to the possibilities after high school,” said Lopez. “Students who have participated in this program have been accepted and completed post-secondary programs in elite schools across the country and are very successful today. This is a very powerful program!” stated Lopez.
PR/HYLI is an annual statewide program designed to promote and develop leadership and public speaking skills in Hispanic high school students. It is sponsored by the State Senate/Assembly Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force in conjunction with the annual Somos El Futuro Legislative Conference.
Questar III BOCES coordinates the leadership institute as part of a five-year contract awarded by the New York State Education Department. PRHYLI is co-sponsored by the State Education Department Office of Bilingual Education and Foreign Studies, New York City Department of Education, Aspira of New York, Inc., College Board, and Bilingual Education Technical Assistance Centers.
For more information, visit prhyli.org.
