Three valley students from Canutillo High School joined the ranks of the Community Scholars this summer. Ruben Salinas, Carmen Hernandez, and Priscilla Moreno were all part of the Community Scholars Internship Program and honed up their leadership and research skills.

Community Scholars is a non-profit organization that offers paid leadership development internships to area high school students. The organization’s mission is to ensure that the citizens of the Paso Del Norte region have access to information -- fairly obtained and presented -- and a well-stocked pool of potential leaders, who put community interests ahead of special interests.

Thirty-two students from high schools citywide participated in the summer-long program. This is the fourth year Canutillo ISD has supported Canutillo High School students to participate in the program and it is the eighth year the program has received funding from several other school districts and private donors.

Ruben Salinas, a former graduate of CHS, worked as a supervisor in the program this summer and has been involved with Community Scholars the last four years. “This year, my group looked into the possibility of consolidating the city and county of El Paso into one government. The purpose of the research is to promote efficiency in both governments, while at the same time providing tax payers with tax relief and better services,” said Salinas.

The students concluded that the consolidation of the county and the city is not likely to happen in the near future, but they made several recommendations, including retaining the mayor and county judge in office to help make the transition in the event that the consolidation becomes a reality. “I definitely believe that the program has helped develop my leadership skills. Through this organization, I've been able to meet with elected officials, community leaders, and activists. I never thought that I'd be meeting with Mayor John Cook one day, and interviewing Judge Dolores Briones the next. That's the beauty of the program. It doesn't just tell us to be leaders, it pushes each and every individual involved to reach that goal,” noted Salinas. Ruben will return to The University of Texas in Austin this fall to continue his studies in finance and business administration.

Carmen Hernandez is in her second year with Community Scholars. “This year my group studied Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). We analyzed the changes it will bring to El Paso and how the city as well as individual entities, are preparing for the influx of soldiers and their families. This program has not only helped me to develop and expand my writing skills, it has also enhanced my interviewing skills. Having to step up and take on a task that none of the other members of my group wanted also helps to develop leadership skills,” said Hernandez. Carmen hopes to further enhance her leadership skills by leading the CHS band as drum major this fall.

Priscilla Moreno’s role with Community Scholars was to research and analyze information for public benefit. “The topic assigned to my group was workforce development. Our goal was to find out if El Paso is economically ready for the three industries; military and defense, biomedical, and manufacturing that were chosen by REDCO as target industries that the El Paso, Juarez, and Las Cruces region should focus on. This program has definitely helped form my leadership skills. I feel that my abilities in public speaking and critical thinking have greatly improved. I have learned how to conduct myself in formal interviews and prepare an analytical document for publication,” noted Moreno. Priscilla will be researching universities, attending community college (courses for dual credit), and preparing for the advanced placement exams for calculus, English, and physics this fall.