HIGH SCHOOL
HISPANIC LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE
20 20
CLASS IV
HLI CLASS IV
PAVING THE WAY FOR THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW
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. These individuals will be entering postsecondary institutions and the workforce. Thus, this program will equip them with resources to support their personal and professional development. The High School Hispanic Leadership Institute focuses on three core competencies: leading oneself, leading others and leading an organization. The purpose of the program and these competencies 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 will also have the opportunity to visit various college campuses each day and connect with university professionals who will be able to share college insight and university specific information.
Class III High School HLI Graduates on their graduation day. Photo by: Carol Lara
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HLI
CLASS SCHEDULE AND TOPICS
CLASS IV
Andres Cancel-Nadal Monday, July 20 Maximizing Your Cultural Diversity
Tuesday, July 21
Emotional Intelligence Redirecting Negative Behavior
Wednesday, July 22
DiSC Assessment The Importance of Self-Awareness
Thursday, July 23 Financial Literacy
Friday, July 24 Professionalism
Saturday, July 25
The Brand Called You
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HLI CLASS IV
Maxton Bender
Maxton Bender will be senior at Fort Zumwalt West High School in O’Fallon, Missouri this fall. He was born and raised in the St. Louis area. Max is a very engaged leader at his school. He maintains high standards for himself and has been on the Honor Roll each year. As a percussionist in the Fort Zumwalt West Marching Band, he performs at football games, basketball games, and numerous competitions. He will also be traveling to Florida next spring break for a special performance at Walt Disney World. Max is also a member of Cultures-in-Action Club and Robotics Club. Along with school, he works as a Lifeguard. He is entering his third year and has earned a performance bonus each year. Max is a firm believer in giving back to the community. For the past 10 years, he has volunteered to set up booths, sell soda, run games and crafts, amongst other things at various Hispanic Festivals. Max has enjoyed dressing as a king for Three Kings Day, each of the past four years, to hand out toys and take pictures with immigrant Spanish speaking kids. He spends time each year with his family at the St. Louis Food Bank packing food for less privileged families. During each year in high school, he has given his time at Marching Band fundraising trivia nights. This summer, he is a volunteer counselor at O’Fallon’s Safety Town program for young children. Max also plays piano, is a Tae Kwon Do Black Belt, and has been a member of the O’Fallon Swim Team. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends, reading about politics, gaming and fishing. As he enters his last year of high school, Maxton is looking forward to being accepted to a 4-year university to major in Political Science. He wants to run for office to make changes that better the community.
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Miguel Buitrago
HLI CLASS IV
Andres Cancel-Nadal Miguel Buitrago will be a junior at Clayton High School this fall. He lives in Clayton and was born in Miami. Miguel’s favorite subject areas in school are social studies and science. He plans on taking three Advanced Placement courses during his junior year: AP Biology, AP Economics, and AP Psychology. He plays soccer and water polo at school. Outside of regular school activities, Miguel currently is in his school’s Student Council, Speech and Debate, where he captains the policy debate team, and his school’s Hispanic Club. As a part of Hispanic Club, he has planned events bringing awareness to Hispanic culture and issues in and around his school. He hopes to help expand the club’s reach to the broader community. In his junior year, he plans on starting a linguistics club at his school for those interested in the subject. Miguel is a counselor for his school district’s sixth grade camp, held every year for incoming sixth graders. He also gives violin lessons to a few elementary school students and hopes to continue. After high school, Miguel plans on going to college but has not decided where to go yet. Regardless, he would like to study linguistics or political science.
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HLI CLASS IV
Maya Brunelli
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil Maya Brunelli moved to the United States in December 2018 and lives in O’Fallon, Missouri with her family. Maya will be a sophomore at Timberland High School, Wentzville this fall. Although new to the school, Maya received a Student of the Month award (8th grade), and recognition for outstanding work in algebra (9th grade). Maya passed the English Language Learning test this semester, and also took the required Physical Education and Health classes during the summer break. Having completed these courses will allow Maya to focus on other interests, including advanced English classes. She also participated in the University of Missouri St. Louis Bridge Program, which featured STEM and personal career development lectures. At school, Maya always volunteers to help other foreign classmates who are still learning English. Additionally, she has set-up a virtual class to teach practical English to her former friends in Brazil. Her goal is to engage in more local volunteering work. Maya’s academic interests are History, Geography, Music, and Foreign Languages. She began learning to play the piano on her own when she was five years old and recently begun guitar lessons. Maya has also started learning sign language with the goal of helping more people now and in the future. When Maya is not studying or volunteering, she is playing piano or guitar—her passion, or walking and biking with her sister. She likes to bake cakes with her mother and is learning how to drive with her stepfather. She hopes to have more opportunities to engage with the St. Louis community and volunteer to help more students make better choices. When she graduates from High School, Maya plans to study psychology and become a therapist.
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Isabel Cepeda
HLI CLASS IV
Isabel Cepeda will be a freshman and attend John Burroughs School this fall. Isabel was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, and has lived here her whole life. For her freshman year, Isabel will take many different classes and electives so she can slowly start to figure out her passion in the future. She loves all subjects but has always been particularly interested in English, French, STEAM, and World History. When she’s older, she’ll like to take courses regarding the STEAM fields. She hopes to soon write a short novel. Although Isabel does many school-related community service events, she loves to help the whole Saint Louis area. Isabel assists in teaching ballet class to girls at Saint Louis Ballet School. She enjoys making the girls smile and keeping them healthy. Isabel also volunteers at her local library branch to help kids enroll in reading programs. She’s constantly looking for new ways to help those around her. When Isabel isn’t at school, she enjoys playing the piano, dancing, and cooking. Isabel also had the initiative of creating a leadership program for middle schoolers that taught them how to become better leaders. During her middle school years, she took part in TSA, which stands for Technology Student Association. TSA allowed Isabel to compete in STEAM-related events that won first place. This helped her team make it to nationals in Washington DC. Isabel’s plans after graduating aren’t determined yet. Maybe she’ll study Sciences, Business, or Law. She is still not sure but knows that she wants to go to college on the east coast.
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HLI CLASS IV
Robert E. Concannon
Andres Cancel-Nadal Emmett Concannon will be a junior at De Smet Jesuit High School in Saint Louis, Missouri. Born and raised in Saint Louis, Emmett still lives in Saint Louis and calls it home. Emmett is planning on taking 2 Advanced Placement courses during his junior year. AP World History and AP Chinese. He is interested in taking International Studies in college. He has always loved to travel, and wants to find out more about different countries around the world, and learn how they work in every-day life. Emmett volunteers at his school. He wants to engage more in volunteering for the Saint Louis community. He has been a volunteer for the MoDot Adopt a Highway for the past 3 years. Emmett has also volunteered for his local county, Maryland Heights Volunteering Day, which goes around and helps pick up trash and helps seniors take care of their yard work. During Emmett’s free time, he likes to play the violin, hang out with friends and family, and play water polo. After Emmett graduates from high school, he plans on studying international studies. He is uncertain of what kind of job he will get after studying, but he plans on going to a bigger city and let his career take him to where he wants to go.
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Donovan Denham
HLI CLASS IV
Andres Cancel-Nadal Donovan Denham will be a Junior at Parkway West High School this Fall. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and is proud to have lived here his whole life. During his Junior year, Donovan will be taking several honors classes, including AP U.S History and AP Chemistry. He will also be taking classes in Marketing and Business Management, which he hopes will expand his interest in business and entrepreneurship. Donovan currently serves as the Student Director of St. Louis Food Rescue, a non-profit that collects unsold fresh food and produce from local food retailers and immediately delivers it to food banks and shelters in the St. Louis area. Donovan has been volunteering with St. Louis Food Rescue for 3 years and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn from and serve the people of this community. After high school, Donovan hopes to find the right university where he can explore his interest in business and nonprofit management and later continue to serve his community in both his personal and professional life.
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HLI CLASS IV
Patrick Gannon
Andres Cancel-Nadal Patrick Gannon will be a senior at St. Louis University High School in St. Louis Missouri this fall. Born in Guatemala City, he now lives right next to Forest Park. During his senior year, Patrick will take 5 Advanced Placement course, AP Calculus BC, AP Psychology, AP Comparative Government and Politics, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics. Despite having a full schedule, Patrick is excited to continue pursuing his passion for singing in his school’s audition choir for the third year. He is excited to be a leader in Varsity Choir as its oldest member this year. Outside of school, Patrick has volunteered for Ss. Peter and Paul Homeless Shelter and Sisters of Charity soup kitchen for several years. In his free time, Patrick loves to go thrifting, pursuing his interest in fashion, and listening to music. After graduation, Patrick would love to attend New York University, and plans to major in something business related, but is open to anything.
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Samuel Herrera
HLI CLASS IV
Andres Cancel-Nadal Samuel Herrera, a student at Westminster Christian Academy, which is located in Town and Country, will be a sophomore in the upcoming school year. While he recently relocated to Wildwood, Missouri, he was born and raised on the opposite side of the Mississippi river in Edwardsville, Illinois. In the fall, he will be taking the hardest classes available. Sam’s favorite class is an engineering class that delves deep into the scientific area, and his main interest and dedication reside in the mechanical engineering side of the field. He also is involved in the robotics team at his school. In addition to Sam’s involvement in his school, he also volunteers at his church to help kids below the poverty line and teach the promise of God’s word. During his free time, he practices multiple instruments and is a member of JazzU, which is a music program that requires musicians to audition every year for it. After high school, Sam aspires to be accepted at Washington University in St. Louis because of its academics and to stay closer to home. He intends to study and go to engineering school to become a mechanical engineer.
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HLI CLASS IV
Nadia M. Jansen
Nadia Jansen will be a junior at Parkway North High School in St. Louis, Missouri. Born and raised in St. Louis, she continues to live in the Creve Coeur county area. During her junior year, Nadia will be taking multiple AP and other advanced/honor classes. She is especially interested in AP US History, even though she wants to explore a different career path in the future. Although the courses are very challenging, she wants to expand her educational opportunities as much as possible. Separate from helping volunteer at her school, Nadia wants to do more for the community as a whole. She is looking forward to volunteering at a rescue shelter for animals in the fall. Nadia is also preparing to create a new club to allow more people to learn how to rock climb at Upper Limits. Nadia has a great passion for sports inside and outside of school including: rock climbing, tennis, swimming/diving, and soccer. She also really enjoys cooking and watching movies. Once high school ends, Nadia wants to follow the orthodontistry career path. Although she does not know what college to attend, she is confident she will find a perfect school for her.
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Gabriela Madriz
HLI CLASS IV
Andres Cancel-Nadal Gabriela Madriz will be a junior this upcoming school year at Clayton High School in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born in St. Louis and lives in Webster Groves. Gabriela has enjoyed pursuing many interests throughout her academic career and regularly pushes herself past her comfort zone in all subjects. She enjoys English class most of all because she feels that is the class with the most flexibility for freedom of expression. She regularly writes poetry, both for school and as a hobby. The classes she is most excited about are AP US/Comparative Government and Honors American Literature. She also regularly competes as part of Clayton High’s Speech and Debate team. Additionally, Gabriela is a coxswain, or the small member of the crew that steers and strategizes, at St. Louis Rowing Club. She practices at Creve Coeur Lake six days a week. This past school year, she volunteered with The Literacy Initiative to tutor grade school students in various subjects. She is also currently employed by Panera Bread. Following high school, Gabriela wishes to major in political science, hopefully at a Division-I rowing school. She is interested in many different facets of practicing law, but definitely knows that social justice must be a huge component of her future profession.
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HLI CLASS IV
Eric Miranda
Eric Miranda will be a sophomore at Webster Groves High School in Webster Groves when school starts. He has lived his whole life in the St. Louis area and loves it very much. During the next school year, Eric will be taking multiple advanced courses including AP physics and AP statistics. Eric has always loved science and math so although these are likely to be quite rigorous courses he is looking forward to them. Eric is also a Boy Scout who has obtained the rank of Life Scout, which is the rank before Eagle, which he is on his way and excited to get to. During his time with the Scouts, he has participated in many service projects to better the community and help people. Some of the other things that Eric does outside of school are speed skating during the fall and winter and he also is on the chess team at his school and the volleyball team as well. In addition he also plays piano, reads, and plays video games to pass the time. Eric isn’t really sure exactly what he wants to do after he graduates high school but he does want to go to college and eventually work in the space industry.
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Ana Ramirez
HLI CLASS IV
Andres Cancel-Nadal Ana Ramirez will be a dually enrolled senior at Rockwood Summit High School this fall. She was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Over the past few years, Ana has taken Advanced Placement classes as well as college credit courses. She is very interested in both social studies and the sciences, especially chemistry. Ana has enjoyed being a part of several volunteering opportunities. She was a Link Crew leader that helped welcome incoming freshmen and worked with them throughout their first year of high school. She also worked with athletes in the Special Olympics over the past few years. In addition, she has volunteered annually as a Vacation Bible School leader and at Gateway 180. Last summer, Ana participated in a service learning, study abroad program in Costa Rica. She enjoyed helping on an eco-friendly coffee bean farm and working with students at a local primary school. Ana appreciates the time she spends with friends and family. She loves being creative with art and photography. She is also passionate about traveling. After high school, Ana would like to attend college and study chemical engineering.
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HLI CLASS IV
Jose Mateo Sanchez
Jose Mateo Sanchez will be a sophomore at MICDS in St. Louis, Missouri this fall. He has lived the entirety of his life in St. Louis. At school, Mateo’s interests lie in math and history. He is very excited to be taking AP U.S. History. Mateo has loved history from around second grade and has competed in the National History Bee, placing first in the state of Missouri for the Middle School Age Group and was a championship quarterfinalist at the National History Bee finals. As a freshman, Mateo was a starter on the Varsity Quizbowl team. Another passion of Mateo’s is service. Last fall, he was a student leader for World Food Day. World Food Day is a single day event in which meals are packaged for needy people locally and abroad. In total 440,370 meals were packaged this year. While Mateo has participated in this event for years, this was his first year taking a leadership position. As far as athletics, Mateo plays basketball and lacrosse. Although he doesn’t have much of a desire to play sports beyond the high school level, he values sports for the discipline it has taught him. He relates his athletics to his studies seeing that in both one must work hard and put in time to see results. As he is only a sophomore, Mateo is unsure of where he will attend college or what he wishes to study. However, he has an interest in economics as it combines his two favorite subjects of social sciences and mathematics.
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Fatima Torres
HLI CLASS IV
Andres Cancel-Nadal Fatima Torres will be a rising senior at Collinsville High school in Collinsville, Illinois for the 2020-2021 school year. Born in Belleville, Fatima now lives in Caseyville where she is happy to call home. During her senior year, Fatima will take two Advanced Placement courses, AP Biology II and AP Psychology. Fatima hopes to further expand her knowledge and passion for psychology where she hopes to get a better understanding of what she might want to pursue. During her high school experience, Fatima has been part of Spanish Club, Leo’s club, Student Council, and National Honor Society. Fatima has put in numerous hours of her time to volunteer for her school. From tutoring classmates in Spanish, working concessions at high school games, helping the food pantry, or picking up trash, she enjoys helping out when she can. When Fatima is not at school, working, or volunteering, she is spending time with her loved ones. After graduation, Fatima plans on attending college. Although she is uncertain of where to go and what career she wants to pursue, Fatima has always had a passion for education.
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HLI CLASS IV
HCC STL FOUNDATION
HCC STL FOUNDATION The HCC STL Foundation was formed in 2009 to accomplish charitable purposes, focusing on the Hispanic community of the metro St. Louis area. MISSION To strengthen Hispanics’ participation in the St. Louis business community through leadership development. VISION Hispanics fully participate in the St. Louis community. GOALS The Foundation will support specific efforts to achieve the vision: •
Hispanic-owned businesses succeed
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The number of Hispanic-owned businesses increases
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Non-Hispanic owned businesses hire and promote Hispanic employees
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Hispanic employees have the employment skills to succeed in their careers
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Hispanic students stay in St. Louis for productive careers
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Hispanic students are prepared for a rigorous college curriculum
For more information, contact Karlos Ramirez at kramirez@hccstl.com
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HLI
HCC STL Foundation Board of Directors
CLASS IV
Andres President: Cancel-Nadal
Gilbert Bailon Saint Louis Post-Dispatch
Directors:
Castor Armesto Spire Energy
Anthony A. Gonzalez Angel TOTA Investments
Claire Schenk Thompson Coburn
Marti Cortez Ameren
Martha Garcia Kampen Kampen Consultants, LLC
Kitty Lohrum Fontbonne University
Ness Sandoval Saint Louis University
Julio Suรกrez Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Facundo Oyenard Bayer
Mike Zambrana Pangea Group
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TITLE SPONSOR
HIGH SCHOOL HLI CLASS IV
LEGACY BUILDER INSTITUTE
LEADER
SPONSORS