Fall 2023 Edition

Que Pasa: Updates and Happenings at LNESC

LULAC National Educational Service Centers hosts the 26th Annual Washington Youth Leadership Seminar

Cultivating and Inspiring Youth Leadership

LNESC recently hosted the 26th Annual Washington Youth Leadership Seminar (WYLS), a four-day event that was a life-changing opportunity for junior and senior high school students from throughout the country. This year’s seminar was held on October 4 - October 8 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. The WYLS brought together 61 future leaders from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico to undergo leadership workshops, advocacy training, and professional development presentations to focus on their leadership potential.

During the WYLS event, participants connected with professionals in business, government and non-profit sectors to reflect on the qualities, experiences and obstacles to overcome in their path to becoming leaders. Workshop activities included “Youth Social Sets”, a set of discussions on youth topics, “Advocacy 101”, an overview on the basics of advocacy and outreach, and issue development sessions on understanding the issue of affirmative action and how it may impact students.

The program also highlighted effective ways to successfully manage the college admissions process, and through a career development workshop, how to develop a career plan by understanding their true strengths, skills, interests and personal values. In roundtable sessions, experts shared their professional experience with participants and provided insight on how to prepare to enter the competitive workforce.

This experience shaped these ambitious young leaders and energized them to become involved to make a difference in their communities. You can watch inspiring remarks from young leaders who participated in this year's WYLS here.

The 2023 Washington Youth Leadership Seminar was sponsored by Nissan, the Walmart Foundation, Geico, Genentech, Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo and the National Education Association.