Four students from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School recently attended the Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute. Hadasa Argueta, Giselle Peralta, Jorge Villatoro and Jose Villatoro were invited to travel to Albany for the Institute.

The Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute is an innovative collaboration with the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force in conjunction with BOCES. The purpose of the PR/HYLI is student empowerment.

Prior to the trip, the students attended four training sessions to learn parliamentary procedures, meet with elected officials, and research current proposed legislation. The Copiague students were invited to participate in the Long Island delegation as they excelled during the training sessions. Hadasa Argueta’s performance during the Mock Assembly and her initiative throughout the training sessions resulted in her being the only junior on Long Island to receive the award of “Outstanding Student.” She is the first student in Copiague to receive this honor.

Date Added: 4/12/2023