More than 500 Hispanic and Latino high school students from across Chicago will spend a day learning leadership skills at DePaul University Oct. 29 at the first annual National Hispanic Institute (NHI) Day, in Room 120 of the DePaul Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave.

The event, which kicks off at 9 a.m., provides training for participants in community organizing, networking, communications skills and leadership strategies. Representatives from DePaul’s admissions office will be on hand to offer insight into the college admission and application process.

DePaul and NHI have been partners in providing educational experiences for Hispanic/Latino youth for more than 10 years. NHI has worked with talented and highly motivated high school students since 1981. To date, NHI programs have served more than 40,000 youths nationwide. DePaul annually hosts the NHI’s Lorenzo de Zavala National Youth Legislative Session in July.

To participate in the event, students must have at least a 3.2 grade point average, be currently enrolled in college preparatory high school classes and have a firm intention to continue their studies at the collegiate level.

DePaul is the largest private educational institution in Chicago and the largest Catholic university in the nation. A richly diverse student population attends classes on two city and six suburban campuses.

DePaul was founded in 1898 by the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers (the Congregation of the Mission), a Roman Catholic religious community which continues the mission and values of Vincent de Paul, the 17th century French saint known as the "Apostle of Charity."