HISPA - Hispanics Inspiring Students' Performance and Achievement

What HISPA - Hispanics Inspiring Students' Performance and Achievement does

HISPA (Hispanics Inspiring Students' Performance and Achievement) is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in April 2007 to connect Hispanic and Latino students with professional role models through the HISPA Role Model Program. The organization originated as an AT&T Employee Resource Group and was later established as an independent nonprofit, with leadership anchored by Founder and CEO Dr. Ivonne Diaz-Claisse and Director of Volunteer Management Rod Colón. HISPA operates across multiple US markets including Miami, New Jersey, New York, and Palm Beach, and extends its reach through virtual programming, delivering school-based engagements in which volunteer professionals share career narratives and educational pathways with K-12 and college-bound Hispanic students.

The organization's core offering is a volunteer-mediated role model intervention: professionals from sponsoring companies and partner institutions visit participating schools and student groups to model Hispanic career trajectories and reinforce educational attainment. HISPA does not sell a product; it operates as a program-delivery nonprofit whose revenue mechanics are corporate sponsorships, institutional partnerships, and donations. Visible sponsors include Shake Shack, Alamo Colleges District, Miami Herbert Business School, NJIT, and the PSEG Foundation, while institutional partnerships extend across higher education (NJIT, Miami Dade College, University of Miami School of Law), industry associations (Prospanica), and corporate entities (Verizon, NASA, Memorial Healthcare System, Visa).

HISPA is approaching a 20th Anniversary Campaign scheduled for 2026-2027, accompanied by in-person kick-off events staged across its operating markets. The combination of named-corporate funding, higher-education partnerships, and a parallel in-person and virtual delivery model defines its current operating posture. No financial size, staff count, or beneficiary reach figures are disclosed in the available data, which constrains precision around scale.

Name

HISPA - Hispanics Inspiring Students' Performance and Achievement

Legal name

HISPA, INC.

Website

https://hispakickoff.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HISPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 that connects Hispanic and Latino students with professional role models via school-based and virtual programming across Miami, New Jersey, New York, and Palm Beach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Leadership, Service Learning & Volunteer-to-Career Pathways (EDAMAKAJ)

Keywords

• Youth mentorship programs
• Hispanic education nonprofits
• Student role model programs
• College career readiness
• Educational mentorship services

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: HISPA generates revenue through individual donations and organizational sponsorships. The organization hosts a Kick-Off and Recruiting Event where sponsorship opportunities are offered, with a downloadable funding package available for potential sponsors.
2. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors fund the annual events and programs. Event sponsors listed include Shake Shack, Alamo Colleges District, Miami Herbert Business School, NJIT, and PSEG Foundation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HISPA operates a youth mentorship and role-model program that connects Hispanic and Latino K-12 and college students with accomplished professionals from across industries. The organization runs annual kick-off and recruiting events in multiple U.S. cities (Miami, New Jersey, New York, Palm Beach) and virtually, recruiting volunteer role models and engaging students and sponsors. Programs are offered free of charge to students and funded through individual donations and corporate event sponsorships.

Product overview

HISPA is a nonprofit organization that operates primarily through its Role Model Program, which connects students with Hispanic and Latinx professional role models. The organization also runs its 20th Anniversary Campaign (2026-2027), featuring kick-off and recruiting events across multiple locations. HISPA's offerings are centered on educational mentorship and career inspiration programs rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HISPA Role Model Program: HISPA Role Model Program connects students with professional role models to inspire academic and career success.

Products and services

• HISPA Role Model Program A volunteer-driven program that connects Hispanic and Latino K-12 and college students with accomplished professional role models from across industries to inspire possibility, build confidence, and open doors to college and career pathways. Programming is offered free of charge to student participants and is supported by volunteer role models and corporate sponsors.
• HISPA 20th Anniversary Campaign Kick-Off and Recruiting Events A milestone campaign of in-person and virtual kick-off and recruiting events that launch each school year, unite students with role models from across industries, inspire education and career pathways, and deepen community engagement. The campaign is delivered in multiple U.S. locations with downloadable speaker biographies, agendas, and a downloadable social media toolkit, and culminates in a signature April 2027 celebration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Connected thousands of students to college and career pathways

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJIT hosts HISPA events and its Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council collaborates on initiatives. The Chair of the Board of Overseers & Co-Founder of the Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council participates in HISPA programs.
• Prospanica New JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProspanica New Jersey President Dr. Jairo Borja participates as a distinguished speaker at HISPA events. Prospanica is a professional organization serving Hispanic/Latino professionals.
• VerizonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerT.J. Vitolo, Director of Product Engineering Technology and Product Development Government at Verizon, participates as a HISPA Role Model speaking on VR topics.
• NASAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJennifer Becerra, NASA Program Specialist/Johnson Space Center, serves as Keynote Speaker for Texas events.
• Memorial Healthcare SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVanessa Nazario, Corporate Director and Chief Diversity Officer at Memorial Healthcare System, participates as EMCEE for Florida events.
• University of Miami School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Christopher Clarke, Inaugural Assistant Dean & Adjunct Professor of Belonging & Inclusion, participates as a speaker.
• Miami Dade CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Georgette Perez, Miami Dade College Hialeah Campus President, participates as a speaker at HISPA events.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• iMentor: Youth mentoring nonprofit pairing high school students with college-educated mentors for college access and career readiness. Closely comparable operating model and college/career pathway focus, though not Hispanic-specific.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit providing one-on-one mentoring to low-income and first-generation students from high school through college. Highly comparable college-completion and career-pathway mission with a dedicated mentor-matching model.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: National nonprofit focused on increasing college access and career success for Hispanic Americans through scholarships, mentorship, and leadership development. Directly comparable to HISPA's college-and-career pathway mission for the same target demographic.
• ¡Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund: Hispanic-focused nonprofit increasing college graduation rates among Hispanic Americans through scholarships, mentoring, and leadership programs. Directly comparable mission, target demographic, and college-access model to HISPA.

Broad incumbents

• UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza): Largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization with education, youth leadership, and workforce programs. Comparable Hispanic-focused mission and target community, though broader advocacy scope and substantially larger scale.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Largest U.S. youth mentoring nonprofit operating one-to-one mentor matching nationwide. Highly comparable as a youth mentoring organization, but serves all demographics rather than specializing in the Hispanic/Latino student pipeline that HISPA targets.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit providing mentoring, education, and career programming through local clubs. Comparable youth mentoring and college/career pathway mission, though delivered via facility-based club model rather than HISPA's role-model volunteer events.

Emerging players

• INROADS: Nonprofit developing underrepresented talent through corporate internships and career development. Comparable career-pathway mission for minority students, though with stronger corporate-internship delivery mechanism than HISPA's role-model events.
• Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit training young adults for corporate careers via mentoring and professional skills training. Comparable career-pathway mission for young adults, with adjacent rather than overlapping student demographic.

Others

• Prospanica: Professional association for Hispanic/Latino MBAs and business professionals. Listed as an active HISPA partner (Prospanica NJ President serves as HISPA speaker); serves the same Hispanic professional community from the supply side of role models.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HISPAteam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hispa
• Instagraminstagram.com/hispateam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HISPA - Hispanics Inspiring Students' Performance and Achievement