Intensive program with hands-on learning projects
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A high school program is proving to students they don’t have to leave home to leave their mark. The Santa Cruz County Emerging Leaders Program connects students with county resources, helping them understand their hometown while developing leadership skills. The program entered its second year with around 50 students enrolled. If students make it to the end — not all do, since it’s a rigorous program — they receive a certificate from the University of Arizona.
“Throughout the program, I felt a bit more confident in myself. At the beginning, I felt nervous, stressed. But by the end, I felt really confident in what I could do,” said Benjamin Corella, a Nogales High School freshman who completed the program last year.
Building confidence and skills
Fellow participant Sofia Gimeno-Pereida, a Nogales High School sophomore, said the program taught her public speaking and emotional intelligence.
“The thing that has helped me the most is to show me that I can,” Gimeno-Pereida said.
Rodolfo Martinez Morales, University of Arizona’s Extension Director for Santa Cruz County, said future leaders need a variety of skills, from managing emotional intelligence to stress management, time management, mental health, and how to interact with people.
Community partnerships
Students partner with community organizations to solve environmental challenges in Santa Cruz County, including water shortages.
“It’s inspiring for me to keep doing this because we know that we are developing resources for the community,” Morales said.
The program aims to show students the opportunities available in their hometown, hoping they will return after pursuing higher education.
“You have a lot of resources here in your hometown. As long as you understand them and get involved in those networks at a young age, you might leave for school, but you’ll be back,” Morales said.
Corella said that the message resonates with him.
“At the end of the day, you can go all around the world, but remember where you came from. I feel like that’s the most important thing,” he said, adding that he’d like to become a teacher in Santa Cruz County.
Isabela Lisco is a Report for America corps member covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
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