EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A student and teacher from a high-performing school with Ysleta Independent School District got the experience of a lifetime this summer.
The pair from Valle Verde Early College High School — teacher Julietta Rojas and senior Theodora Ordaz — were selected as one of only 27 teams nationwide to attend the 2025 Young People’s Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The conference was held July 14-18.

Not only did they represent Ysleta ISD at the national conference, but they also particpated in an iHeartRadio Pulso Comunitario podcast, and a PBS segment filmed during the event.
Over five days, students and teachers from across the country came together to dive into our nation’s founding, engage in conversations, and explore how America’s core ideals have been shaped and reshaped over the past 250 years, YISD said.
This all-expenses-paid trip “fostered leadership, collaboration, and public speaking skills —empowering students to dream big, lead boldly, and make their voices heard as the changemakers of tomorrow,” YISD said.
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