HACU’s ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute is a three-day career, leadership, and networking conference designed to build the career and leadership skills of undergraduate students. Students will attend workshops, networking events, and meal functions as well as meet with exhibitors and recruiters across various industries and graduate schools. Students may participate in interviews on-site for internships or available positions. Students will also have the opportunity to meet students from other colleges and universities from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We plan to have about 800 students in attendance.

Students must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program and be at least 18 years of age. HACU recommends the following criteria when selecting students, but the selection process on your campus is up to you:

• 3.0 GPA or higher
• Leadership roles/experience

All majors can attend, but in-demand majors from corporate, federal and non-profits typically include:

• Business – Accounting, Business Administration, Business Management, Economics, Finance, International Business, Sales and Marketing, Commercial Real Estate, Operations and Logistics, Health Care Administration
• Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) – Actuarial Science, Agriculture, Biochemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Engineering, Environmental Science, Food Science, Information Systems and Technology, Mathematics, Nursing, Nutritional Science, Physics, Statistics, Wildlife Science, Meteorology
• Others – Communications, Criminal Justice, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Political Science, Public Administration, Psychology, Talent and Entertainment

The ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute will take place on October 31-November 2 at the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center in Chula Vista, California. Students will arrive on October 30, and depart on November 3.

*Sponsoring organizations that commit during this time frame will not be listed in the conference program or on the sponsor boards.

**Students will be provided a link to HACU’s travel service to book individual flights. HACU encourages schools to have students book flights together as a group and/or with POC.

No. You can sponsor as many students as you would like from your campus.

Payment for your sponsorship is due 30 days upon receipt of invoice. An invoice will be sent upon receipt of signed Sponsorship Agreement.

Contact Hugo Cantero, Director of Development at Hugo.Cantero@hacu.net or 210-692-3805.

Once the agreement is signed and returned to HACU, HACU Student Services will work with the main point of contact for the institution to acquire student information. A Sponsored Student Form and Waiver will be sent to all students to complete and sign. The POC will be copied on this correspondence. The POC will also submit a rooming list (double occupancy) by gender. HACU will book rooms for students at the conference hotel.

A student resume is also highly encouraged for each attendee and must be submitted by Monday, October 5, 2026 to be included in the Resume Book. The Resume Book is shared with all ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute corporate and federal partners/employers two weeks prior to the event. Students may be contacted prior to the conference to schedule an interview at the conference.

• August 28, 2026 (early bird)
• August 29 – October 9, 2026*

*Sponsoring institutions that commit during this time frame will not be listed in the conference program or on the sponsor boards.

Early October is the deadline to submit all student forms and waivers. You will receive reminders from HACU staff if your students’ paperwork has not been received.

• HACU ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute registration includes breakfast and lunch on days 1-3, and a networking dinner on day three.
• Round-trip U.S. airfare*. Local and regional students receive paid parking.
• Four-night hotel accommodation (paired with another student scholar).
• A HACU ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute Student Guide which includes preparation guidelines, travel tips and contact information for HACU Staff.
• A Student Scholar sponsor identification for students to wear along with their conference badge.
• Group photo with sponsoring organization or institution.
• Virtual conference preparation webinars leading up to the ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute.
• Scholars may also be invited to sit in reserved seating with their sponsor during the luncheons and networking dinner. (If a representative from the sponsoring organization is not present, students will sit in open seating with their peers.)

*Students receive a link to individually book their flights through our travel agency. We recommend the POC inform students of the preferred flight time and airline so that all attendees travel together.

Yes! Space is limited. All schools must submit a signed agreement and registration form to secure a spot. Registration may close before the deadline if the event sells out. (HACU will begin a waiting list once the conference event sells out)

Yes. HACU will not discriminate because of race, disability, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, or veteran status. (Students must be enrolled in an undergraduate program and be at least 18 years of age)

HACU Student Services staff will be the main point of contact for all sponsored students. Please contact HACU Student Services at 210-692-3805 or email StudentTrack@hacu.net.

Institutions may request a refund or can replace the student with another student if cancelation/substitution occurs before the deadline as noted in your agreement. Notify HACU Student Services if any student(s) will not be able to attend or if they will be replaced, in order to remove the non-attendee registration and register the new student(s).

Institutions are highly encouraged to work with all sponsored students on resumes, interview skills and elevator pitch. Students should also meet with their Career Center to prepare and practice for possible on-site interviews. It is helpful for students to review expectations of the conference with their sponsoring institution as well as attend HACU preparation webinars. A webinar will also be conducted for sponsoring institutions/point-of-contacts. (Webinars will be recorded for those not able to attend)

Prior to the event, students will receive a Student Guide with instructions on how to prepare for the event. The packet will include the full ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute agenda, hotel information and check-in and check-out instructions, ridesharing information, social media hashtags, exhibitor list to setup meetings with companies looking to hire, conference frequently asked questions, and contact information for HACU Student Services staff. Students are highly encouraged to attend HACU conference preparation webinars in the weeks leading up to the conference.

Visit the ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute! webpage for updated information and links to pre-conference webinars. If you still have questions we have not addressed here or during our webinars, please contact HACU Student Track at 210-692-3805, or email StudentTrack@hacu.net.