The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) will honor longtime, decorated Univision anchor Jorge Ramos and Michele Bobadilla, University of Texas Arlington Senior Associate Vice President for Outreach Services & Community Engagement and Assistant Provost for Hispanic Student Services, with its prestigious Medallion of Excellence awards at the Institute’s 41st Annual Awards Gala on Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C.

Both Ramos and Bobadilla have contributed as leaders in the Hispanic community for over 30 years, exemplifying their dedication to civic engagement, community service and Latino youth development. Ramos will be receiving CHCI’s Medallion for Excellence in the Arts, Entertainment, Media, Music, and Sports and Bobadilla the American Dream Medallion of Excellence in Education, Science, Medicine, or Civil Rights. The Awards Gala coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month and is among several events at the CHCI Annual Leadership Conference, themed this year as “Here to Lead: Architects of our Destiny.”

CHCI started as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the legislative group that ensured Latino community needs were met in Congress and other branches of government. It transformed, however, in the 1980s into a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution that provides leadership workshops and educational services to strengthen the younger generation of incoming Latino leaders, and now has a large network of industry leaders in the community who share the same goal.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Bobadilla has a long-standing reputation as an educator, advocate and volunteer for the Latino community. She helped establish the Society of 100 Endowed Scholars’ Fund and is chair of the Stars on the Rise Scholarship Program, raising millions for over 200 ethnic minority students in the Greater Dallas metro area to attend higher education institutions. Bobadilla is also co-chair of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s scholarship program, and is praised by CHCI for her “openness and generous spirit.”

“Michele’s commitment to our community is unmatched. Without her advocacy, educational opportunities for Latinos wouldn’t be the same in Texas and across the country. She’s so deserving of this award,” Pinnacle Group Chairwoman and CEO Nina Vaca said in a social media post. “Michele is a role model to many of us, including me.”

Ramos is considered one of today’s most impactful and listened-to Hispanic journalists and is often recognized for his expertise on issues in the Latino community. CHCI has selected Ramos for the Medallion for Excellence for his place among the “most eloquent, credible and powerful voices of Hispanic America.”

A Mexican-American immigrant and lead anchorman for Noticiero Univision since 1986, Ramos has won eight Emmy awards for Excellence in Journalism and was named as one of TIME magazine’s “100 most influential people in the world” and “25 most influential Hispanics in the United States.” He has also spent his career promoting Latino literacy, creating the first book club in Hispanic television history, Despierta Leyendo (Wake Up Reading), in 2002.

“I am very honored to receive the CHCI Medallion of Excellence,” Ramos said in a statement. “This is a great opportunity to talk about our achievements as a community, to destroy stereotypes and to give voice to the voiceless.”