Isaac Guillermo Lara
December 2006

On only seventeen years old, Isaac Guillermo Lara is giving the Latino community a political voice through voting, when he himself is not yet of age to vote.  He looked around his town of Fair Lawn, New Jersey and decided that he must help his community and educate others about his Bolivian culture.

After discovering the lack of Latinos voting and apathy to politics in general, Isaac created The Hispanic Panic, a Latino youth organization that focuses on increasing voter registration for Latinos and other minorities.  He has succeeded in encouraging underprivileged youth to stay in school and teach them that their voice does count.

Not stopping there, Isaac continued to create the Fair Lawn Investment Club to empower young Latinos to take control of their finances.  This club holds investment seminars for students and elderly citizens to keep them from mismanaging their money and investments.

Besides winning numerous awards including “2006 Best Op-Ed Piece,” Isaac has also attended Governor’s School of International Studies of New Jersey and participated in Model United Nations, the Debate Team, and the Academic Decathlon at his school.  He was elected Student Representative to the Board of Education twice and serves as a mentor to others through the Peer Leadership Program.  He also found time to write three articles for the “Fair Lawn Community Newspaper” that addressed difficult decisions teenagers face while growing up.

Not forgetting his cultural heritage, he dances the Bolivian dance “Caporales” in the National Hispanic Day Parade with his family each year to teach other’s his national’s culture and customs. 

Through his dedication to change and progress, Isaac’s professional goal is to one day be elected into political office and help to improve the lives of not only Latinos but as many people as possible.  His leadership is already well observed in his community and it is only a matter of time before it crosses state boundaries.