[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 158 (Friday, September 26, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING ERNESTO NIETO, FOUNDER OF THE NATIONAL HISPANIC INSTITUTE, ON 
                   THE OCCASION OF HIS 85TH BIRTHDAY

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                            HON. JIMMY GOMEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2025

  Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a visionary leader 
whose life's work has left an indelible mark on the United States, 
Latin America, and the world, Mr. Ernesto Nieto, founder and president 
of the National Hispanic Institute (NHI). On the occasion of his 85th 
birthday, we commemorate not only the years of his extraordinary life, 
but also the enduring legacy he has forged for generations to come.
  Son of civic activists and Methodist church leaders, Santos and 
Esther Nieto, Ernesto was born on October 6, 1940, in Houston, Texas. 
He and his brothers, Albert and Roy, grew up confronting racial 
discrimination firsthand, experiences that fueled his determination to 
join the civil rights movement and to create new pathways of 
opportunity for the Latino community. A proud graduate of Southwestern 
University, a talented basketball player ranking 23rd leading scorer in 
the nation, along with further graduate studies at the University of 
Houston, Mr. Nieto combined academic rigor with an unwavering 
commitment to being a cultivator of human potential, a steward of 
possibility, and a teacher of hope. His life reminds us that the truest 
measure of leadership is not in what we accumulate for ourselves, but 
in what we awaken in others.
  In 1979, guided by that bold vision, Mr. Nieto founded the National 
Hispanic Institute to cultivate young Latino leaders. At a time when 
too many narratives focused only on deficits, Mr. Nieto charted a 
different course--one of possibility, strength, and aspiration. Under 
his leadership, NHI has engaged over 100,000 high-achieving students 
from across the United States and Latin America, partnering with more 
than 120 institutions of higher education.
  Through NHI, he gave students the stage to discover their gifts, the 
structure to practice leadership, and the conviction to see themselves 
as architects of their communities' future. While NHI's roots are 
proudly grounded in the Latino community, its reach has expanded to a 
hemispheric scope. Today, NHI engages youth of every cultural 
background--from Nigerian American and Indian American families to 
young leaders across the Americas--all united by the common purpose of 
civic engagement, community life, and the pursuit of a stronger future.
  For Mr. Nieto, leadership is not an abstract concept but a lived 
experience of community, family, and heritage. His philosophy is rooted 
in respect for the long history and traditions of Latino leadership and 
in building systems that identify, nurture, and amplify the talents of 
young people. His groundbreaking book Third Reality: Crafting a 21st 
Century Latino Agenda captured this vision, underscoring the vital 
importance of cultivating leaders who embrace their cultural identity 
as an asset to American society and to the world.
  Over the decades, Mr. Nieto's leadership has been recognized through 
countless honors. He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of 
Southwestern University, the Human Relations Award from the National 
Association of College Admissions Counselors, and the Splete Award for 
Civil Rights from the National Association of Independent Colleges & 
Universities. He has been named a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Scholar, 
honored with the First Tee Award, and awarded the degree of Honorary 
Doctor of Humane Letters from both Texas Wesleyan University and Austin 
College. Yet the deepest proof of his legacy lies not in titles or 
accolades, but in the thousands of NHI alumni now serving as public 
servants, educators, business leaders, and advocates across the globe.
  Together with his co-founder and wife, Gloria De Leon, the lessons 
from his parents and supported by his children, Nicole, Roy, Marc and 
Chris, his extended De Leon family, and his beloved NHI familia, 
Ernesto Nieto has built an institution that does not merely train 
leaders but transforms futures. His impact resonates in classrooms and 
boardrooms, in communities from the Rio Grande Valley to Puerto Rico, 
from Chicago to Mexico City, and across continents--reminding us that 
the strength of a nation, and indeed the world, rests on the gifts of 
its people.
  Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Ernesto Nieto's 85th birthday, we 
recognize a man whose vision and persistence created not just an 
organization, but a movement. His life affirms that when communities 
invest in their youth, they invest in their future. For generations to 
come, the National Hispanic Institute will stand as a living testament 
to his belief that Latino communities are assets to be celebrated and 
empowered.
  On behalf of my colleagues in Congress, I extend heartfelt 
congratulations to Ernesto Nieto. May his example continue to inspire 
leaders for generations, and may his life's work remind us all of the 
enduring power of vision, faith, and relentless commitment to awakening 
the leaders already within us, and among us.

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