The U.S. Army is once again joining forces with the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) to ensure Hispanic youth are prepared to attend college and become leaders in their communities.
As part of this partnership, the Army will again sponsor and host a leadership workshop at USHLI’s annual conference, Feb. 13-16 in Chicago, where academic and career opportunities are showcased to the Hispanic community.
“If our nation is to continue to be a leader in the 21st century, nothing is more important than preparing our young men and women for success,” said Maj. Gen. Jefforey Smith, commanding general of U.S. Army Cadet Command. “Our partnership with USHLI, as well as community leaders and educators throughout the country, reflects the high value the Army places on academic and leadership development as clear paths to success for all of America’s youth.”
According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education, Hispanic youth are more likely to drop out of high school than other groups, and Latino students who attend college are less likely to graduate than students of other ethnicities. The Army, and organizations like USHLI, is committed to increasing access to higher education, leadership development and career opportunities for Hispanic students.
The Army boasts the nation’s largest college scholarship program, investing almost $280 million at more than 1,300 college campuses nationwide through its senior ROTC program. For more information about scholarship opportunities visit GoArmyROTC.com.
The Army’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is also a key Army program that offers opportunities to develop leadership skills and promotes academic success in more than 1,700 high schools nationwide. JROTC instills leadership, discipline and the value of civic service in over 314,700 high school students and is just one example of the Army’s commitment to improving attendance rates, GPAs, and graduation rates amongst America’s youth.
The Army’s commitment to education is also evident via the free resources and programs it provides to middle school and high school students. The Army-sponsored March 2 Success program is a free web-based learning tool designed to assist educators, parents and students to prepare for high school entrance and standardized testing, as well as the ACT and SAT college entrance exams. Parents and educators interested in learning more about the March 2 Success program should visit the Web site March2Success.com.