The John F. Lopez, JR. (JFL) RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP AND JFL Micro Internships

The John F. Lopez, Jr. Research and Management Fellowship and JFL Micro Internships are sponsored by the National Hispanic Institute (NHI). NHI is a 40-year educational non-profit dedicated to broadening the supply of future Hispanic/Latino community leaders.  

Our mission is to provide high school age youth with opportunities to develop their leadership skills in an environment that simultaneously builds assets in the Latino community. This work strives to increase investment in human talent and intellectual capital in the Latino population, which thereby benefits from leadership development, and also increases participants’ visibility and value to their communities as they emerge as young professionals.

NHI engages college-age fellows (JFLs) to facilitate inner-communications between high school students and the NHI learning environment.  Through a three year progressive training model that features college students as leaders and guides, younger Latino students are introduced to leadership as a process that requires both self-change and community collaboration. The Great Debate (GD) – for rising sophomores – focuses on strengthening oral communication skills and critical/analytical thinking around broad social themes that have relevance to Latino communities. The Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ) – for rising juniors – focuses on managing organizations/systems and creating policy and/or legislation. Finally, the Collegiate World Series (CWS) – for rising seniors – focuses on the college admissions process and inquiry-based decision making. For the 2021 program year, due to Covid-19, NHI is offering its high school programs primarily in digital formats, with limited in-person experiences being planned, should conditions safely permit.

In 2021, the recipients of the John F. Lopez Fellowship and JFL Microinternships will work closely with NHI leadership to support the organization in a variety of efforts including, but not limited to: student outreach, mentoring, research, program execution and related support, program evaluation, and overall organizational needs. In addition, interns will have the opportunity to promote their institution of higher education among our student members, as they often work to build meaningful relationships with students considering their college options.