The Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican / Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute was recently recognized as a Program to Watch by Excelencia in Education, an organization that helps to accelerate Latino success in higher education by promoting student achievement.

During the annual Examples of Excelencia review and selection process, Excelencia identifies innovative and/or up-and-coming programs that are making a positive impact on the success of their Latino students as Programs to Watch. Excelencia hopes that by bringing attention to these programs, we can encourage institutions, practitioners, funders, policy makers, and other stakeholders to keep an eye out as these programs continue to improve Latino student success.

You will probably recall that in July 2009, noted Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates was arrested at his own home after a neighbor called the police to report a suspected break-in. Gates is black; the arresting officer, white.

The incident drew national attention and President Obama responded at the time by saying, “I don’t know . . . what role race played in that. But . . . what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there’s a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately.”

Gladys I. Cruz (Questar III BOCES), Theresa Longhi (Ichabod Crane Teachers Association), and José M. Meléndez (Hudson Valley Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network) were recently published in Educator’s Voice from NYSUT.

On March 9-11, more than 240 students from across New York state met at the Capitol for the 29th annual Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute.

Six Hudson Valley students were awarded $8,600 in scholarships at the 2019 Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute conference.

Last weekend, eight students traveled to Albany to represent our region as the Monroe Delegation.