Elijah Rey Reyes
Las Cruces Bulletin<\/p>\n
The vote was so close during the Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session that it came down to a coin flip. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a whole thing getting up to that process. We were debating with people, running against people, the vote was close.\u201d said Angel Hernandez, a student at Alta Vista Early College High School who earned one of the top two honors at the Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tie-breaking moment occurred during the program\u2019s competitive election process, where students campaigned and debated for leadership positions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Weeks later, Hernandez and fellow Alta Vista student Jose \u201cTony\u201d Martinez were recognized by the Gadsden Board of Education at Loma Linda Elementary on Feb. 26 as applause filled the room.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pair was recognized during the district\u2019s board meeting for earning the top two distinctions at the leadership program hosted by the National Hispanic Institute. Hernandez was awarded the 2025 Dennis Chavez LDZ Governor Lieutenant Governor and Martinez was awarded the 2025 Dennis Chavez LDZ Governor. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we got called, I definitely started crying out of sheer excitement,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cWe went up on the podium. We thanked everyone and hugged everyone. It was so amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martinez described the celebration just as vividly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you see the photos right after they call our names, Angel and I are ecstatic,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cWe were hugging each other. We were jumping. We were super happy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session, often referred to as LDZ, is a mock government program in which approximately 150 students assume official leadership roles of a simulated judicial branch.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, the LDZ is held by the NHI, which is the National Hispanic Institute,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cIt is basically a big legislative session. There\u2019s lawyers, there\u2019s judges, governors, and the speaker of the house.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martinez described the competitive atmosphere in his own way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a mock government,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cThe entire time we\u2019re trying to run for political positions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both students said that the long and enduring week tested them to the max.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe toughest moment was definitely the big presidential speech,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cDuring that time, I was super nervous. I was very stressed. I couldn\u2019t eat. There was a moment where I was about to throw up and I just couldn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Hernandez, the challenge came from stepping outside his comfort zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe toughest moment for me was when I finally realized I had to do it myself,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t an extroverted person, but I knew that to win the top position I needed to talk to a lot of people.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the end of the session, both students said the experience strengthened their leadership skills and confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely put myself forward a lot more when it comes to leadership roles,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cI\u2019m definitely more confident in speaking. It got easier speaking in front of a large crowd of people.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hernandez said the experience also expanded his personal outlook on higher education.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe LDZ influenced my career decision by really making me want to go to college more,\u201d he said. \u201cIt really broadened my experience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The students\u2019 achievement capped off a milestone week for Gadsden Independent School District, which was named 2025 National Hispanic Institute School District of the Year. The recognition reflects the district\u2019s sustained participation and student success in NHI leadership programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
National Hispanic Institute co-founder and executive vice president Gloria De Leon, who attended the Feb. 26 board meeting, said the district\u2019s recognition reflects a sustained emphasis of leadership within Gadsden schools.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a culture of success,\u201d De Leon said. \u201cThere\u2019s an expectation inside from teachers, to counselors, to principles.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
De Leon noted that dozens of Gadsden students have participated in NHI programs in recent years and emphasized the organization\u2019s strong college outcomes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBy merely qualifying for our programs, the college readiness has already been filled,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Martinez, the experience reinforced his interest in public service.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely want to look more into the political side of college,\u201d he said. \u201cMy dad told me I would make a good politician because he says I have a good heart.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hernandez, who plans to pursue electrical engineering, encourages younger students to follow the blueprint he did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would tell them to definitely apply, but they should be ready for the rigorous challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is so worth it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Elijah Rey ReyesLas Cruces Bulletin The vote was so close during the Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190753,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[138,140,139],"class_list":["post-190752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-el-paso","tag-el-paso","tag-el-paso-headlines","tag-el-paso-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}