About Us
Leaders in Training (LIT) is a grassroots, community-based nonprofit rooted in East Las Vegas. We believe the next generation of leaders should rise directly from the communities they call home. Our mission is simple yet bold: to ensure that first-generation students not only become the first in their families to graduate from college but also become the future leaders who transform their communities.
Located on the corner of Lamb and Washington, LIT is free to join and open to students who will be the first in their families to graduate from college. There are no GPA requirements—only a commitment to growth, service, and completing program expectations.
Students begin their journey with LIT as high school freshmen, where they gain academic support, leadership development, and a powerful peer community that believes in their potential. The journey doesn’t end at graduation—through our Postsecondary Program, students receive ongoing guidance for up to four years of college or career training. Eight years after high school, they join our Alumni Network: a growing movement of leaders equipped to uplift their families, shape their careers, and transform Las Vegas from within.
For students, LIT is a second home. For families, it is a promise of opportunity. For donors and partners, it is an investment in equity, leadership, and the future of our city. Together, we are rewriting the narrative of what leadership looks like in East Las Vegas and beyond.
LIT uses an assets-based mindset with our families and our community. Hear from our families themselves:
Mr. Bueno father of Leader Martin
Cohort 7 & Rancho HS Senior
Sibling pair Leader Rafael & Leader Nicole
Cohort 4 & Reed College Junior & Cohort 6 & UNR Freshman
Proud young mom Leader Adrianna
Cohort 2 & UNLV Senior