Albany, NY – March 31, 2017 – Assemblyman Chad A. Lupinacci (R,C,I,Ref-South Huntington) had the opportunity this week to meet with students from Walt Whitman High School in South Huntington participating in the Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute. Each year, the group is invited to the floor of the Assembly Chamber to meet legislators, observe how government functions, and are officially extended the privileges of “The People’s House” by the Speaker Pro Tempore. The students also host a mock legislative session and debate real issues facing New York today.
“I was so pleased to congratulate South Huntington’s amazing students for their participation in this year’s mock session,” said Lupinacci. “Some of our students are participating for their second year and are certainly a model to others for their engagement in the legislative process. For the past five years, I’ve been excited to participate in this event and share my insight on the issues facing our state. These students are a testament to the outstanding education and curriculum offered in the South Huntington schools, and I’m proud to recognize them as members of our community and state.”
The Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute is an innovative collaboration with the NYS Assembly/Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force in conjunction with the annual SOMOS El Futuro conference, Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages, the New York State City Board of Education, and other agencies as appropriate.
The overall purpose of the PR/HYLI is student empowerment. To this end, the Institute has the following goals for its student delegates:
- The development of leadership skills in Latino/Hispanic Youth;
- The creation of opportunities for Latino/Hispanic students to interact with positive role models such as Puerto Rican/Latino elected officials, educators, and business leaders;
- The creation of partnerships and conversations among educators, business leaders and students, and
- The development of an in depth knowledge of the state legislative process.
Source: The Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute