Services Offered by LIA

Latinos In Action (LIA) offers an asset-based approach to bridging the graduation and opportunity gap for Latino students, working from within the educational system to empower positive change. Our program operates as a year-long elective course taught by a highly qualified teacher at the middle school, junior high, and high school level. The end goal of everything we do is to empower Latino youth to lead and strengthen their communities through college and career readiness. We accomplish this by focusing on four pillars: leveraging personal and cultural assets, excelling in education, serving the community, and developing leadership skills. In addition to the school programs offered by LIA we also offer the following opportunities for Latino Students who are apart of our programs across 15 states.

Leadership Conferences


Latinos in Action offers students the opportunity to participate in an Annual Leadership Conference, a time for student leaders to showcase their talents, hear from a dynamic keynote speaker, and gain exposure to the university campus experience. This annual tradition has become a key component to helping students understand their true potential and learn from other successful leaders.

Keynote Speaker


Each Leadership Conference offers Keynote Speakers. These speakers range from successful Latino entrepreneurs like Richard Montanez the 2024 Keynote, and inventor of flaming hot Cheetos, to Jose Hernandez the astronaut in 2023. The speakers inspire and encourage conference participants to continue to dream big and accomplish their goals.

LIA Micro Credentials Student Experience


LIA seeks to enhance the educational experience for students by offering the Micro Credentials Student Experience. The Micro Credential course offers specialized training, workshops, and guidance from industry professionals, and educational materials that enable students to gain valuable focused experience to learn more about the Healthcare, finance, or the education Industry.

LIA Elementary Education Programs

In 2023, LIA launched a New Elementary Education Program. The program focuses on fostering early academic success, mentorship, and character development among elementary school students within the Latino community. This new Initiative will support expansion of the Elementary curriculum and data development to LIA programing for elementary students and create a stronger foundation for success as LIA student move through Middle and High School.

LIA Student College Scholarships

LIA wants to empower the next generation of leaders by providing Student College Scholarships. These scholarships offer financial assistance to deserving Latino students pursuing higher education, covering tuition, books, and other educational expenses. This support will enable talented individuals to achieve their academic goals and contribute to their communities.

LIA Family Engagement

FamiLIA creates opportunities for Latino families to build the tools and skills necessary to take the lead in transforming their children’s academic, social, emotional and leadership development while simultaneously building administrators and educators skills, tools and capacities for culturally responsive engagement practices that create a more inclusive and equitable school climate and culture.
Our approach is:

  • Asset-based
  • Builds bridges and belonging.
  • Culturally responsive and sustaining.
  • Capacity building
  • Collaborative learning (student, family/caregiver and educators)
  • FamiLIA builds on the success of our core programming by providing the following:

Families build:

  • An increased understanding of the important roles they can play in their children’s schools, using their own human, cultural, and relational assets
  • An increased sense of efficacy, that they are able to effectively play these roles
  • Increased activity and knowledge related to their child’s schooling and education


Educators build their pedagogical and cultural proficiency skills with:

  • A deeper understanding of the cultural wealth of local Latino communities
  • An ability to challenge their biases and assumptions
  • An understanding of the practices involved in culturally responsive engagement
  • Ability to utilize family voice and input towards school improvement practices

Leading By Example

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Xitlalli Villanueva