HISPANIC ROLE MODELS READY TO INSPIRE AT PRINCETON YOUTH CONFERENCE

 Education   Thu, June 08, 2017 01:34 PM

 

Princeton, NJ – HISPA (Hispanics Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement), with Co-host PSEG, will unite Hispanic role models with 150 students from Camden, Elizabeth, Hamilton and Summit for a youth conference at Princeton University.  Themed “Take Action! Achieve Your Dreams,” HISPA’s 21st youth conference—and 9th on Princeton’s campus—will take place on Friday, June 9 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  The goal? To excite students about education, campus life and STEM careers.

 

New Jersey-based nonprofit HISPA mobilizes Hispanic professionals to serve as role models, inspiring students by showing them that they, too, can succeed academically and professionally.  Since 2007, HISPA’s 2,500 mentors have reached more than 9,000 students in San Antonio, New Jersey, New York City and Florida.

 

“It is critical to the future of our country that we validate young Latinos’ dreams and aspirations,” said HISPA President Dr. Ivonne Díaz-Claisse.  “To have over 100 HISPA Role Models take a full day and spend it with local youth shows the importance and urgency of HISPA’s mission.”

 

Students will hear from a variety of speakers, including master of ceremonies Jorge Cardenas, Vice President of Asset Management and Centralized Services at PSEG, and keynote speaker Mauricio Gutierrez, President and CEO of NRG. 

 

“Every student should be given the opportunity to engage with role models they can directly connect with and learn from,” stated Mauricio Gutierrez, President and CEO, NRG. “I am honored to share my experiences and humbled by the hopes that they might inspire students to pursue a path of higher education in STEM, opening up a multitude of future career opportunities.”

 

Gian Paul Gonzalez, who is credited for inspiring the New York Giants’ 2011 Super Bowl victory, and New Jersey State Senator Nellie Pou will send students off with a motivational address.  Students will also hear about life after high school from a panel of college students.

 

Conference activities include hands-on STEM-exploration workshops.  This year, students may choose to discover careers in energy with PSEG; build rockets with the Society of Hispanic Engineers (SHPE) and Hispanic Employee Resource Groups Verizon HSO and Merck MHO; explore and create fractals with Educational Testing Service (ETS); produce “medicine” according to pharmaceutical lab procedure with Bristol-Myers Squibb Organization for Latino Advancement (OLA); create networks for the Internet of Things with AT&T Aspire and HACEMOS; or tour a biology and engineering lab with Princeton University’s Dr. José Avalos.

 

The HISPA 2017 New Jersey Youth Conference is made possible by Co-sponsor, the Office of Human Resources at Princeton University, and Co-host, PSEG; in addition, by Lead Sponsors AT&T and NRG, Sponsors BMS, Grainger and Merck, and Collaborator UPS.  Princeton University’s Office of Provost will host a reception to thank volunteers following the conference.

 

HISPA’s Annual Partners are AT&T, Comcast, ESPN, ETS, the PSEG Foundation, Visa and Southwest Airlines, HISPA’s official airline partner.

 

For more details about the day’s schedule of events, visit: http://hispa.org/files/HISPA_YC_2016_Program__New_Jersey7.pdf.

CONTACT:
Kelly Grossman kelly@hispa.org (609) 865-0124