La Cima (The Summit) Bilingual Leadership Camp

Why Bilingual Latinx Leadership?
¿Por Qué Liderazgo Bilingüe Para Latinos?

Location: Cispus Learning Center
Date: June 27th - July 2nd, 2026

La cima exists to impart leadership and life skills to Latinx youth. La cima existe para inspirar liderazgo y habilidades de la juventud latina. Buenos estudiantes crean buenas escuelas. El objetivo del Liderazgo La Cima es graduar a estudiantes latinos. El ambiente bilingüe de La Cima ayuda a los estudiantes latinos a desarrollar su identidad, un sentido de empoderamiento y habilidades de liderazgo.

Strong students create strong schools. The primary goal of La Cima Leadership is to graduate our state's Latinx population. La Cima's bilingual environment helps Latino students develop self-identity, a sense of empowerment, and leadership skills to better serve their schools and communities. La Cima is a week-long high school summer camp designed to impart leadership and life skills to Latino youth in Washington State. Latino student leaders find their voice at La Cima and return home equipped to create positive change in their schools and communities.

Students attending La Cima can be elected, appointed, or recruited based on their leadership potential. The curriculum covers identity development, communication, group process, managerial skills, self-awareness, and human relations. Principal evaluation criteria linked to the La Cima leadership curriculum include: Closing the Gap, Creating a Culture, Ensuring School Safety, and Engaging the Community.

La Cima practices a dual-language content-delivery model in both English and Spanish. We call it Bilingual Leadership. By delivering content in English and Spanish, students experience a school function that actively promotes the values of biculturalism (i.e., the ability to integrate attributes of two cultures and to navigate competently between cultural systems). As a result, students affirm their self-worth and their bilingual assets and are encouraged to develop their speaking, reading, and writing skills in both languages.

Question and Support

Directors

  • Morelia Ayala, Director

  • Dianna Torres, Director