Texas CWS shines in 2017 edition at University of North Texas

The 2017 edition of the National Hispanic Institute’s Texas CWS (Collegiate World Series) involved nearly 120 students from six states and from Mexico, congregating on the University of North Texas to learn about the college application process and inquiry-based learning.

The program, like the others in NHI’s summer program series, provides an opportunity for students to form teams, collaborate, and cultivate friendships that last far beyond the program’s five days. At the CWS, students have the opportunity to participate on two teams — one for the League Series, placing students on teams under the counsel of a college admissions representative, and one for the IBL Series, who students immerse themselves in inquiry-based learning methods.

The winning Texas CWS League Series team, representing Vanderbilt University, included:

Luis Alvarado, Escuela Carlos Pereyra, Torreon, Mexico
Placido Garcia, BASIS, San Antonio, Texas
Karilou Gonzalez, Premont High School, Premont, Texas
Osvaldo Guerra, IDEA Edinburg, Edinburg, Texas
Janiah Luciano, Teaneck High School, Teaneck, New Jersey
Lauren Melendez, J.W. Nixon High School, Laredo, Texas
Alexander Quinonez, East Austin College Prep, Austin, Texas
Louis Ramos, Boerne High School, Boerne, Texas
Ashley Sosa, East Austin College Prep, Austin, Texas
Francisco Vielma, Oratory Athenaeum for University Prep, Pharr, Texas
Raquel Villarreal, Nikki Rowe High School, McAllen, Texas
Alejandra Wait, Ann Richards School For Young Women Leaders, Austin, Texas

Winning team member Ashley Sosa, describing the event as “an amazing ride” allowing her to connect with friends from the Great Debate and the LDZ programs, praised it for giving her a guide to the college application process. “It gives you little steps along the way,” she said. “Not a lot of students get the opportunity to have this sort of guide, so I’m really happy to be here.”

“My experience so far has been a rollercoaster — it’s been non-stop,” said fellow winning team member Louis Ramos. He lauded the event for “giving you one-to-one access with college admissions counselors, and you get advantages that no other student has.

The winning IBL team at Texas CWS included:

Luis Alvarado, Escuela Carlos Pereyra, Torreon, Mexico
Simei Nasare Avila, Energy Institute High School, Houston, Texas
Daniel Enrique Caceres, Science Academy, McAllen, Texas
Dakota Jackson Daniels, William J. Palmer High School, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Destiny Gallego, Juarez-Lincoln High School, Mission, Texas
Miranda Gabrielle Gibble, East Austin College Prep, Austin, Texas
Enrique Guerra, Weslaco High School, Weslaco, Texas
Luis David Luna, East Austin College Prep, Austin, Texas
Jazmin Nunez, Cholla High School, Tucson, Arizona
Kristian Mariah Saldivar, Cotulla High School, Cotulla, Texas
Mariangel Verduzco Mendez, Escuela Carlos Pereyra, Torreon, Mexico

“It’s shown me how difficult the college application process can be,” said Daniel Caceres, a member of the IBL winning team. “It’s also shown how the small things you can do in the application might really make you shine, for colleges to accept you.”

The program is supported in part by sponsorships from DishLATINO, State Farm, Union Pacific, and Winston & Strawn LLP; representatives from the law firm were able to attend and see the Texas CWS first-hand.

“It was so impressive to see the students in action, preparing for the college admissions process and learning about how these next steps will help steer their success as community leaders,” said Rachael Nelson Gearing, an attorney with Winston & Strawn who attended part of the Texas CWS. “We’re proud to be supporting NHI’s efforts in educating the next generation of Latino leaders, and seeing the students’ enthusiasm at this program makes us excited to be supporters.”

Zachary Gonzalez, pleased with another successful CWS program at UNT, noted, “The Texas CWS saw a new generation of NHI members serving as Education Directors, Commissioners, and Senior Mentors. This generation strengthened relationships with university coaches who are interested in supporting NHI’s work in various parts of the United States, invited Fox 4 News in Dallas to cover the event, and solidified new relationships with leaders at the University of North Texas. Our team also made new inroads with the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team for potential student excursions in the future. A lot of exciting advancement with the Texas CWS as we prepare for a brighter future at the University of North Texas.”