Arizona State University to Host Ceremony – Students Receive Grants for Education or Ideas
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) today announced the recipients of the Phoenix Regional Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards (see attached for list of recipients). 15 local high school seniors will be honored for their leadership in the classroom and community, and promoted as role models during a ceremony at Arizona State University’s Memorial Union. In commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of the Youth Awards, the ceremony will spotlight past Youth Awardees and special guests in attendance.
The Youth Awardees will receive grants for either their education, or to fund an idea or community project to encourage “actionable leadership,” which is HHF’s call to action. Recipients will then be mentored by past Youth Awardees as they prepare and attend college and into their careers through HHF’s award-winning Latinos On Fast Track (LOFT) workforce development program. The Youth Awards are taking place in 10 regions across the country with 150 Youth Awardees being selected from thousands of applicants. The average GPA for the students is nearly a 4.0.
“We are thrilled to honor yet another class of outstanding young Latino leaders from Phoenix who will certainly make an impact on our communities and workforce as they move forward in their careers,” said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO, HHF. “We also applaud the vision of our sponsors as they share our focus in supporting what we consider priority fields for America. We believe these are the young leaders of today, not tomorrow and frankly, we can’t afford to wait. I will say that after 15 years of Youth Awards, there is no shortage of top, young, Latino talent.”
Business & Entrepreneurship, sponsored by BBVA Compass:
Gold: Genesis Arlette Miranda – Betty Fairfax High School, Phoenix, AZ
Silver: Dania Alvarez – North Canyon High School, Phoenix, AZ
Bronze: Karina Renderos – Coronado High School, Phoenix, AZ
Education, sponsored by Southwest Airlines (Official Airlines of the Youth Awards):
Gold: Christina Elise Granillo – Las Cruces High School, Las Cruces, NM
Silver: Jocelyn Davila – Camelback High School, Phoenix, AZ
Bronze: Ariana Del Cid – Rio Rico High School, Rio Rico, AZ
Engineering & Mathematics, sponsored by ExxonMobil:
Gold: Quenan Aaron Ruiz – Carl Hayden High School, Laveen, AZ
Silver: Luc Jeffrey Reboulet – Tempe Preparatory Academy, Tempe, AZ
Bronze: Paul Humberto Acosta – Cibola High School, Yuma, AZ
Healthcare Science, sponsored by CVS Caremark Workforce Initiatives:
Gold: Miriam Alexis Lopez – Nogales High School, Rio Rico, AZ
Silver: Gabriela Renee Chavez – Nogales High School, Nogales, AZ
Bronze: Ivy Love Rodriguez – Desert Edge High School, Goodyear, AZ
Innovation & Technology, sponsored by Entertainment Software Association:
Gold: Katia Mendez – Canyon Del Oro High School, Catalina, AZ
Silver: Nayelli Woods – Nogales High School, Nogales, AZ
Bronze: Khalil Santiago – Corona del Sol High School, Chandler, AZ
One of the 15 recipients will receive an additional $500 grant and nutritional products through a special Fitness & Nutrition recognition by Herbalife for being sound not just in mind but in body.
After the regional ceremonies, the 150 Regional Youth Awards recipients will be narrowed to one National Youth Award recipient for each of the five categories and celebrated at the National Youth Awards presentation along with celebrities who are being recognized for being role models. National Awardees will also receive a laptop computer and all-expense-paid trip to the ceremony (location TBD).
Additional sponsors of the Youth Awards include UPS, Transamerica (Official Insurance Company), Discovery en Español, AT&T It Can Wait Campaign, and Crowell & Moring. National partners include: Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), Cesar Chavez Foundation, City Year, Jefferson Awards, LatinPointe , NRCCUA, OCI Group, Qlovi, Saber Es Poder, and Voto Latino. HHF also partners with thousands of high schools, colleges, community organizations, media outlets and business partners on the program.
For a full calendar of all other Youth Awards, click here.