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From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, it is National Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month. At Lincoln High, we have several clubs that help young Latino students with school or provide a space to talk about their heritage. 

Taking a closer look at the clubs and community here at Lincoln High, the Joven Noble Club has helped many students learn about the Latino culture and ways to prepare for college. 

“I simply love helping our Latino community look past high school and encouraging them to go to college. I myself was not the brightest or best student in high school,” said Adan Martinez, an advisor for the Joven Noble Club and counselor at Lincoln High. “But I had several teachers that helped me figure out that I too could attend college, regardless of not having money and being poor as a kid.”

Steve Solorio, the coordinator for Joven Noble, was born in Los Angeles and he was raised by immigrant parents. He was homeless for most of his life and was surrounded by gang activity. Despite how he grew up, Solorio was the first in his family to go to college.

Solorio’s goal for Joven Noble is to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system and to help students out of it too. So far, 79% of young adults in the club reported that they had better success at school and the graduation rate was at 94% in 2017-18.

In September, Solorio hosted a festival for Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month at the Royal Grove. Solorio said on News Break that “this is one of the first events that has been done like this here. The Hispanic community is growing very fast here in Lincoln, Nebraska. So it’s nice to see the different vendors from different Latin American countries here at the Royal Grove.”

If you would like more information about the Joven Noble Club, please contact Adan Martinez.