ST. GEORGE — By the end of the year, the Latinos In Action club at Snow Canyon High School completed 24 service projects within the nine months of the school year. This number marked the highest number of projects ever undertaken by the school’s club, Cynthia Vo, one of the club’s vice presidents, told St. George News.
Members of the Latinos in Action club prepare food for local firefighters, teachers and crossing guards, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Cynthia Vo, St. George News
The members of the club visited local elementary schools, frequenting Arrowhead Elementary and Sunset Elementary, where they engaged in various service projects alongside the younger students. These efforts reflect the club’s mission to foster community involvement and leadership among its members, Vo said.
The students speak highly of their teacher Paul Hill, who recently received the Best Teacher Award at the Latinos in Action conference at the University of Utah. However, his students say he credits them for the club’s success.
“He won’t take any of the credit,” Vo said.
Hill’s teaching philosophy, inspired by Napoleon Hill’s “Outwitting the Devil,” encourages students to take initiative and lead, she said.
Member Jared Gonzalez said that Hill reminds him of the fairy godmother in “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Follow the yellow brick road,” Gonzalez said. “He helps a lot by giving us ideas and information and what could happen. His personal experiences with leadership as well, really help us go with our projects and stuff.”
The club has grown steadily, going from 12 members two years ago to 45 at the start of this last school year.
Latinos in Action club members ride their float during Snow Canyon High School’s Homecoming Parade, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Cynthia Vo, St. George News
When participation was low, an interest in the club was enough to gain membership. Now that there are more people interested, the process has become more selective.
“Since our class isn’t dying anymore, we’re more picky now,” Vo said. “We look for people with good grades and who are not only ambitious in our class but ambitious in other fields as well.”
Despite the vetting process, the club still lost about 10-15 members due to various circumstances outside of the club’s control, Vo said.
Creating a pipeline to ensure membership stays strong has been a priority for the club, visiting local middle schools and seeing that they, too, have established Latinos in Action clubs.
“We would visit during lunchtime and recruit them,” Vo said.
Members of Latinos in Action carry books into Wild Blooms in Hurricane for kids who don’t have books, Hurricane, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Cynthia Vo, St. George News
The club presents information and videos throughout the school year in the school’s weekly announcements to help draw in new members. These videos focus on how students can join and benefit.
Students are not required to be Latino to join the club, though estimations say that about 85% of its members are Latino. Vo, who is not Latino, shared her personal growth and experience with Latinos in Action.
“Despite it not benefitting my personal community or culture, I found my passion for helping others,” Vo said. “I was very reserved before. Now, I can look people in the eye when they talk, and we can talk to strangers.”
Some of those strangers are potential sponsors, and reaching out to them was initially a challenge for Vo and her peers, one that was overcome through the confidence the club has given them, she said.
“We have stronger identities now,” Vo said. “We know who we are, how we want to lead and what kind of people we want in our group. We’re not people pleasers anymore.”
Though the graduating class played “a big part” in how things were run, the younger members of the group remained optimistic, she said.
Abraham Aguilar, 16, is among them.
“I’m not worried for next year,” Aguilar said. “I feel like it’s going to be great, even though these guys are leaving.”
He gave props to Vo and Gonzalez for setting a good example of what good leadership looks like and said he hopes he can continue that legacy going forward.
Latinos in Action, founded in 2001 by Jose E. Enriquez, operates as a year-long elective course for middle school, junior high and high school students. Its mission is to empower young Latinos to lead, get involved in their communities, close the graduation and opportunity gaps, and prepare for college.
For more information or to get involved, students are encouraged to contact their counselor or visit Hill’s classroom, room 100, during the school year. The club also maintains an active presence on Instagram, where they post video interviews with senior members, encouraging others to join.
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