LOFT Trains Leaders in SEC & Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s (HHF) Latinos On Fast Track (LOFT) Institute in partnership with Teach For America, Southwest Airlines – the Official Airline of the LOFT program, the Raben Group, and Domino’s will host the second Annual LOFT Actionable Leadership Training to prepare and equip 50 selected Latino college students to make a measurable impact on America’s communities.  The Leadership Fellows represent nearly 40 colleges and 20 states and will attend a two-day interactive training in Washington, D.C., featuring Hispanic experts from various fields on September 13th and 14^th at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Capitol Hill. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and other Members of Congress will participate as well as Film Director and El Rey Network Founder, Robert Rodriguez, who will speak to the students about having a vision in their efforts.

As part of the application process, each of the students submitted an Action Plan for their community which will be executed and measured for impact with the support of HHF.  The goal is for each student to positively impact 300 individuals more for a total impact of 15,000. To support the effort, visit and donate at https://www.hispanicheritage.org/donation/index-donate.php

“We believe young Latinos possess the intellect, capability, and determination to define a new legacy of leadership and uplift their communities and America,” said Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of HHF.  “It is in this spirit we will once again convene to prepare young Latinos for maximum impact.  LOFT is a leadership movement which is led by youth not for tomorrow but for today, which is why we are focusing on ‘actionable’ leadership.  Teach For America profoundly understand the need to put leaders in a position from which to lead in education, which is the starting point to success for a community and country.”

Participants will attend seminars led by experienced leaders from diverse fields, and engage in skill-building workshops focused on four key areas with technology serving as the catalyst for execution:

• Communications
• Fundraising
• Building networks
• Mobilization and Advocacy

“It is exciting and inspiring to see so many young Latino leaders coming together to learn and affect change for their communities,” said Patricia Leon-Guerrero, Director of National Alliances for Teach For America. “This summit’s mission aligns with Teach For America’s work to bring more outstanding Latinos into education and help them develop as the next generation of leaders who will work to ensure we’re expanding educational opportunity for all children.”

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Beyond the training, the students will remain in contact to exchange ideas and best practices, and access support and resources on the LOFT Network. Through different technologies including mobile phones, the students will document their projects throughout the year and will receive ongoing support and guidance from established leaders who will post content and engage students virtually through the online platform.

Latinos on Fast Track (LOFT) is a leadership and workforce development program – which prepares, places, and connects students through trainings, symposia, summits, mentorships, speakers’ bureaus, internships, fellowships and resources throughout their careers.  LOFT has built a vetted network of 75,000 16-30 year-old students and young professionals who are broken out into fields which are priorities for America. Students and professionals are encouraged to join the LOFT Network at http://loftnetwork.org or contact Jessica Barajas at jessica@hispanicheritage.org for more information.

Hispanic Heritage Foundation

Established in 1987 by the White House, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) is a 501c3, nonprofit which inspires, identifies, prepares and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce to meet America’s priorities.  HHF also provides Latinos in America with role models, cultural pride and a promising future through public awareness campaigns and special events.  What distinguishes HHF from other organizations is a focus on helping “a Latino to help hundreds.” Visit www.hispanicheritage.org for more information and follow us on Twitter @HHFoundation.

About Teach For America

Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity. This fall, 9,300 corps members will be teaching in 43 regions across the country, while nearly 24,000 Teach For America alumni continue working from inside and outside the field of education for the fundamental changes necessary to ensure educational excellence and equity. For more information, visit http://www.teachforamerica.org.

For more information about The Raben Group, please visit www.RabenGroup.com.