This summer, students from the National Hispanic Institute (NHI) at San Antonio won their third consecutive Ambassador Great Debate championship. Ramiro Rodríguez, a member of the team, shares his experience–in both Spanish and English.
Una enorme experiencia que recordare por el resto de mi vida. Durante la competencia experimente todo tipo de emociones desde frustraciones, nervios, felicidad. Pero fue mas que todo un honor poder representar a nuestra amada ciudad, San Antonio.
Yo llegue al Instituto Nacional de Hispanos (NHI) a través de recomendaciones de miembros familiares, los cuales me motivaron a ser parte de este grupo de jóvenes líderes Latinos. Al principio, me sentí nervioso ya que nunca había participado en competencias académicas, pero conforme fui preparando mi discurso comencé a sentir confianza en mi mismo y esto se fue enriqueciendo conforme realizábamos las revisiones y ensayos con mi equipo de trabajo. Ahora soy un líder Latino, trabaje duro y con mucha pasión para lograrlo.
Descubrí las habilidades que tengo en Oratoria y que quiero seguir explotando, además, me dejó grandes amistades que me brindaron confianza en los momentos de tensión y que aun ahora siguen siendo una parte importante de mi vida. Agradezco a NHI por todo el apoyo que me dieron y por esta experiencia invaluable, ya que nunca habría podido sobresalir sin la ayuda de mis tutores.
Quiero invitar a todos los jóvenes Hispanos de San Antonio y que les interese tener esta experiencia enriquecedora a que busquen integrarse a NHI y que conozcan los diferentes programas que ofrece. Independientemente del programa que escojas y el desempeño que logres, será un evento que impactará positivamente en tu vida.
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An impactful experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. During the competition, I experienced all sorts of mixed emotions from frustration, to nervousness and happiness. But it was more than just an honor to represent my beloved city of San Antonio.
I came to know what NHI really is, through recommendations of family members, for which they motivated me to become a part of this group of young Latino leaders. At first, I felt nervous because I had never competed in any academic activities, but through practice and improvement I felt confident about myself and my work. Now I am a Latino leader, I worked hard and with all my passion I accomplished all my merits.
I discovered the abilities I have in the category of Oratory and that I want to keep progressing, apart from the fact, this experience also left me with great friendships that brought me confidence in myself during tense times and will last a lifetime. I thank the Institute for all of their help and for granting this invaluable experience, since I do recognize I would never have had succeeded without the support of my tutors.
I want to cordially invite all the young Hispanos from San Antonio that would be interested in having an enriching experience and to advise them to get involved with NHI. I also would want them to be well integrated in the different programs throughout the years. Independently from which ever program they will choose from, and the performance they achieve, it will be a memorable event that will positively impact their life.
