Rep. Delaney and Rep Van Hollen attended in support of award-winning constituents
WASHINGTON, DC – The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) and its sponsors honored 21 Latino high school seniors from the DC region for their accomplishments in the classroom, community and their focus on various categories during the 16thAnnual DC Regional Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards on December 9 at the Rayburn House Office Building. HHF also promoted the young leaders as role models for their peers through social media as they move forward to college and provide them with grants, which can be used for their education or social entrepreneurship to support their leadership for years to come. Past Youth Awardees joined elected officials, educators, community and business leaders, and families in celebration of the students’ achievement. After the Regional Youth Awards Ceremonies in 10 markets, one recipient was chosen in each of the categories to attend the National Youth Awards in San Juan, Puerto Rico in January 2015 with celebrities. (Recipients’ average GPA is over a 3.5).
The Youth Awards Ceremony took place at the Rayburn House Office Building – Energy & Commerce Committee Room 2123 (Reception with food and beverages at 6 p.m. – Ceremony began at 7 p.m. local time)
Business & Entrepreneurship – sponsored by BBVA Compass
Gold: Jenna Ramirez, James Hubert Blake High School
Silver: Axia Nicolle Hernandez, Gaithersburg High School
Bronze: Lisette Obando Pardo, Fairfax High School
Community Service – sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive Company
Gold: Santiago Paul Jauregui, Centreville High School
Silver: Alicia Rodriguez, Fairfax High School
Bronze: Flor Jasmin Chavez, JEB Stuart High School
Education – sponsored by Southwest Airlines
Gold: Sophia Marie Caldera, Walt Whitman High School
Silver: Andrew Joseph Suarez, James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School
Bronze: Michelle Luna-Victoria, JEB Stuart High School
Engineering & Mathematics – sponsored by ExxonMobil
Gold: Laura Vazquez-Bolanos, Tuscarora High School
Silver: Matias Moreno, Washington-Lee High School
Bronze: Natalie Diaz, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Healthcare & Science – sponsored by CVS Health
Gold: Karla Rivas, New Town High School
Silver: Jessica Statler, Academy of the Holy Cross
Bronze: Miguel Portillo, Capital City Public Charter School
Innovation & Technology – sponsored by Entertainment Software Association
Gold: Chris Michael Issing, Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School
Silver: Emily Samuels, Gaithersburg High School
Bronze: Diana Katerina Carney, Lake Braddock Secondary School
Sports & Fitness – sponsored by NASCAR
Gold: Emily DeVilliers, Riverend High School
Silver: Diego Zarate, Northwest High School
Bronze: Alexander Corbett, Lake Braddock Secondary School
“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is looking forward to another group of young leaders from the DC area that we can count on for the future and right now,” said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF. “We want don’t want to simply honor the outstanding students but more importantly put them in a position from which to lead. Our model is to support innovative leaders to impact thousands of others in industries and fields which are priorities for America’s workforce. And we are grateful to our dedicated sponsors who also realize the importance of tapping a resource like our Latino youth to move not just our community but America forward.”
After receiving the awards, the students are funneled into HHF’s LOFT (Latinos On Fast Track) award-winning, leadership and workforce development program focused on 10 “Tracks” or fields including healthcare, science, technology, engineering, education, public service, entrepreneurship, media and entertainment, finance and Latinas. Tens of thousands of students and young professionals are connected to each other through the LOFT Network; thousands are prepared through trainings, priority-field-tailored symposia, workshops, and Charlas (online Google hangouts with experts); and hundreds are placed into internships, mentorships, fellowships and full-time positions with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Join and follow LOFT on Facebook and Twitter.
Youth Awards Regional Ceremonies have taken place or will take place in:
Phoenix Oct. 21, 2014 Arizona State University
Los Angeles Oct. 22, 2014 University of Southern California
Miami Oct. 28, 2014 University of Miami
Atlanta Nov. 18, 2014 Georgia Tech University
Dallas Nov. 20, 2014 Southern Methodist University
Chicago Nov. 24, 2014 Loyola University
Houston Dec. 2, 2014 University of Houston
San Jose Dec. 4, 2014 Stanford University
Washington, DC Dec. 9, 2014 Capitol Hill
New York Dec. 16, 2014 Viacom
National Youth Awards January 2014 TBD
Additional partners of the Youth Awards include: UPS, PhRMA, Google, NRCCUA, Direct Auto Insurance, Rebuild the Dream, Qlovi, i.am.angel Foundation, OCI Group, Es Tiempo, and Voto Latino.
About the Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation – a nonprofit established by the White House in 1987 – inspires, prepares, and connects minority leaders in the classroom, community and workforce to meet America’s priorities in 10 areas of focus. HHF also promotes cultural pride, accomplishment, and the great promise of the community through public awareness campaigns seen by millions. HHF is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Miami and the LOFT Institute is housed at Michigan State University (Visit www.HispanicHeritage.org).
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Contact:
Santiago Melli-Huber
SantiagoMH@HispanicHeritage.org