Program Manager Vanessa Garcia, Salvador Gaspar, Program Assistant Nerishka Cruz
Collinsville High School rising senior Salvador Gaspar participated in the High School Hispanic Leadership Institute during June 2018. The event was presented by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation of Metropolitan St. Louis and sponsored by Centene Corporation.
Gaspar was one of 20 students who had the opportunity to take part and the only one representing a high school from the Illinois side of the metro area. This is the second year Collinsville High School has sent a student to this program.
According to his biography:
Salvador Gaspar will be a senior at Collinsville High School in Collinsville, Illinois this fall. He was born in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico and now lives in Collinsville and is proud to call it home.
During his senior year, Salvador will be taking three AP placement course, AP Calculus, AP Physics C and AP Psychology. Salvador is taking these rigorous courses to further his knowledge in the S.T.E.M. fields. He is fascinated with the universe and the stars and also completes many hours of community service as a member of National Honor Society.
Outside of school, Salvador hopes to volunteer at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Louis as part of a youth group. Also, he plans to volunteer at Ss. Peter and Paul in Collinsville, Illinois as a tutor for 1st – 8th grade students.
After graduating, Salvador is hoping to attend the University of Michigan where he plans to major in Astrophysics or maybe Law.
The HCC STL Foundation “has established the High School Hispanic Leadership Institute as a skills-based leadership training program with the goal to develop the next generation of Hispanic Leaders in the St. Louis community. ”
Under the theme “Paving the Way for the Leaders of Tomorrow,” the Leadership Institute focuses on leading oneself, leading others and leading an organization. According to HCC STL:
The purpose of the program…is to provide students with tools to establish personal values, improve communication and promote strategic decision-making.
The program offers students relevant professional development trainings led by industry professionals and distinguished professors with years of experience in diverse fields and academic settings. Students [also had] the opportunity to visit various college campuses each day and connect with university professionals who [shared] college insight and university specific information.
This was the second HHH STL Leadership Institute. To view the Class I (2017) and Class II (2018) participants, click here.