Northern Illinois University’s first Latino Honor Society was successfully launched April 15.
With family and friends at their side, 32 students were inducted into the Adela de la Torre Honor Society (ATHS). The inaugural members swore an oath to achieve success through scholarship, service and leadership.
About 100 people attended the event organized by Vanessa Segundo, who serves as the Latino Resource Center’s research and project specialist.
Emily Prieto, who directs the Latino Resource Center and founded ATHS, named the society in honor of her exceptional graduate mentor, Adela de la Torre. de la Torre is professor in the Chicana/o Studies Department at the University of California, Davis and the director of the Center for Transnational Health. She is widely known for her research on Chicano/Latino health issues.
During her engaging keynote address, de la Torre provided powerful commentary on the importance of leadership and highlighted the impact that education has on the Latino community.
Christopher Jones, associate vice provost for University Honors, spoke enthusiastically about the importance of recognizing student success, the value of honors education and the benefits of the Honors Program. The induction ceremony was co-sponsored by the Honors Program, which Jones directs.
The launch of ATHS marks the culmination of a year of collaboration between the Latino Resource Center and the University Honors Program. Prieto and Jones have worked closely to identify and recruit talent and highly motivated students for both ATHS and the University Honors Program.
The partnership is based on a shared vision to promote and recognize the academic excellence of NIU’s best Latino students, to create academic enrichment and leadership development opportunities for these students, and to expand and diversify the University Honors Program.
Prieto and Jones are committed to working together to ensure the Latino Resource Center and the University Honors Program are inviting, student-centered environments that support, advance, and celebrate the academic success of NIU’s growing number of Latino students. They anticipate joint recruitment efforts and co-programming during the 2012-2013 academic year.
