SEARCY DENNEY SUPPORTS LATINOS IN ACTION

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 create positive change. LIA’s program operates as a year-long elective course taught by highly-qualified teachers at the middle school, junior high, and high school level. The ultimate goal is to empower Latino youth to lead and strengthen their communities through college and career readiness. LIA accomplishes this by focusing on four pillars: leveraging personal and cultural assets, excelling in education, serving the community, and developing leadership skills.

Because of this unique combination, the LIA model has proven effective throughout the United States. In 2015, LIA was awarded the White House Bright Spot for Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Excellence in Hispanic Education.

The Florida law firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. is proud to support Latinos in Action. Last year, Searcy Denney donated $5,000 toward college scholarship awards to south Florida students of LIA. Searcy Denney continues to be impressed with LIA’s focus on instilling important values in our community’s youth, particularly with the challenges posed with the pandemic, so it increased its donation to $10,000 in college scholarships which were awarded to 6 finalists of LIA’s essay and art contests under the theme “Be the Change.” Attorney Mariano Garcia of Searcy Denney, who immigrated to the United States from Argentina when he was 8, understands that a college education can “Be the Change” for all Latino high school students.  Mr. Garcia participated in the judging process and was moved by the quality, originality and passion of the submissions. “Having participated in the final rounds of judging, I was inspired and reassured that the future of our communities is in good hands,” said Garcia. Searcy Denney congratulates the winners of this year’s essay and art contest, and all of the students who participate in Latinos in Action!