Puerto Vallarta Educators Visit Sister City's Highland Park High School Highland Park Sun Times
go to original August 29, 2013

Highland Park High School Principal Brad Swanson led visitors from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on a tour of the high school on Saturday, August 24.

The visitors were particularly interested in learning about the HPHS Technology and Arts Program, and were hosted by the Highland Park Sister Cities Foundation.

The Highland Park High School (HPHS) Program works in conjunction with the Schuler Scholar Program, which identifies students who would be the first in their families to attend college.

As eighth graders at HPHS five years ago, the students are tapped by the Schuler Scholar Program. The organization then provides the teens with support through their high school years so they are well-positioned for acceptance into top-notch colleges and universities.

The organization sets students’ sights on highly competitive private schools, which can offer more financial aid than other institutions.

Veronica Torruco might easily have written off any chance of attending a pricey and prestigious college, but she and five peers from Highland Park High School’s Class of 2013 are doing just that.

Puerto Vallarta's sister city Highland Park is a suburban municipality in Lake County, Illinois, United States, about 23 miles north of downtown Chicago.

Agustin Valdivia, a member of the Tourism Board in Puerto Vallarta, City Council member and leader of the delegation to Highland Park, said the visit helps cement relationships, raise money for charities in his city and promote tourism in the destination city on the west coast of Mexico.