For the fifth consecutive year, a delegation of more than 200 Hispanic and Latino high school sophomores and juniors from across the country will gather at DePaul University for the 2003 Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session July 6 - 13.

During the eight-day Chicago event, which is co-sponsored by DePaul and the National Hispanic Institute (NHI), participants will be challenged to further develop the values that will provide the foundation of their leadership of the Latino community in the future.

The American political system, judicial procedure, public policy implementation and community organizing will serve as the basis for the students’ mock legislative experience. During the event, held at the university’s Loop and Lincoln Park campuses, students will establish and run their own government. The event will culminate June 12 with a private college fair for attendees, featuring more than 100 colleges and universities, from 1-3 p.m. at the DePaul Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave.

"DePaul is pleased to host the National Hispanic Institute’s leadership training program," said the Rev. John P. Minogue, DePaul University president. "The students participating in this program receive an extremely valuable opportunity to prepare themselves for future leadership positions."

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

DePaul and NHI have been partners in providing educational experiences for Hispanic/Latino youth together for more than 10 years. NHI has worked with talented and highly motivated high school students since 1981. To date, NHI programs have served nearly 45,000 youths nationwide.

The Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session is named in honor of Manuel Lorenzo Justiniano de Zavala y Sáenz (1788-1836), the first vice president of the Republic of Texas, who played an instrumental role in securing Texas’ independence from Mexico.

DePaul is the largest private educational institution in Chicago and the largest Catholic university in the nation. A richly diverse population of 23,227 students attends classes on two city and five 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."