Shell and NCLR inspired hundreds of young Latino leaders at 2014 NCLR Annual Conference's Lideres event

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Jul 24, 2014, 04:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Shell & NCLR (National Council of La Raza) brought together 300 young Latino leaders from across the county at the 2014 Lideres Summit in conjunction with the 2014 NCLR Annual Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Participants included high school and college students as well as young professionals, ages 14–26, who are motivated to strengthen their leadership potential and learn how to become effective advocates in their communities. At the Summit, they attended workshops, discussion forums and cultural presentations, and heard from corporate and nonprofit speakers.

This year, Shell's Chief Scientist Jose Bravo was one of the corporate speakers at the Lideres Summit. Bravo participated in a discussion with former KNBC News Reporter and Anchor Michele Ruiz, in which he spoke about the future of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) careers. "We see STEM as a way that Shell and other corporations are going to carry on into the future. It is a fundamental part of our business strategy and the people that deliver this knowledge are the key resource for the company for the future."

Shell and NCLR are focused on motivating our youth to get informed and pursue STEM careers. Following the chat, students were encouraged to ask questions and become part of the discussion. One student asked, "How were you motivated to purse a STEM career?" Bravo's response was, "It was about role models for me. My chemistry teacher in high school was my role model. He was a very smart man and anything I asked him about he knew the answer to." He went on to encourage the students to not ever think they weren't smart enough, expressing that "…we need to get rid of that stigma. You don't have to be 'smart' to pursue a STEM career…you need to be tenacious and persistent."

There will be a growing demand for a diverse supply of STEM students. For every unemployed STEM worker in this country, there are twice as many unfilled STEM jobs, according to a recent study by Change the Equation. Shell along with other energy companies are looking into the future and focusing on a group believed to be a key solution – youth.

About Shell: Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemicals companies with around 87,000 employees in more than 70 countries and territories. In addition to its global growth strategy, Shell is committed to the economic development of minority and women owned and operated firms through Shell Supplier Diversity. To learn more about Shell Supplier Diversity, please visit their web page http://www.supplierdiversity.shell.com or follow us on Twitter @ShellDiversity.

About NCLR Lideres Initiative: The NCLR Lideres initiative is designed to increase opportunities for Latino youth to maximize their influence as leaders in the United States. Lideres operates on a national level to support and strengthen community-based programs and campus-based organizations serving Hispanic youth.

CONTACT
Esmeralda Ramirez
Ruiz Strategies
(310) 853-2170
[email protected]

SOURCE Shell