Shining the Light on Ambitious Latino Students

By Tony St. Jean

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Tr3s is featuring the stories of seven remarkable Latino students and honoring them as Agentes de Cambio. These seven students are the 2011 Hispanic Heritage Youth Award Recipients, selected for their extraordinary accomplishments and talent. Check out Melissa, Jose, and Catarina – all Latino youth change-makers committed to doing what they love while making a difference.

Though she is still a student, Melissa is already looking to teach the next generation of youth. She wishes to become an English teacher to instill a love of reading and writing in others. In addition to her academic achievements, Melissa is the Editor-in-Chief to both the Spanish Literary Magazine and the English Literary Magazine her school publishes. Melissa, who is Venezuelan and Spanish, has a positive outlook on her future – “It’s not just recognition for what I accomplished so far, but also support and motivation for what I hope to achieve in the future.” Melissa’s passion in education is match by our next participant’s drive to help others.

Catarina loves to help so much that she has set a personal goal of logging 4,000 hours of community service by her 25th birthday. During the summer, Catarina volunteers at Peeble’s Elementary School where she works with children as a teacher’s aide. She was given the title “Community Service Lieutenant” by her school for her extraordinary efforts in the community. Catarina recently taught a week long course in animal awareness to kick off her Leadership Academy Senior project. She strives to be a role model to her peers, “I want to set a good example. I want everyone to be able to go out and volunteer”. Our last student also wishes to motivate others with his actions.

Jose Antonio Villanueva’s mom told him that if he wanted to get further in life, it would be through education. Taking his mother’s advice, Jose has excelled in academics and has become the top Hispanic Math and Science student in his school district. Jose was named a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar for placing in the top two percent of Hispanic SAT test takers. His high AP test scores earned him the prestigious AP Scholar Award. Jose, who is Mexican and Spanish, wants to see more Latinos in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields. Jose attends Stanford University where he is majoring in Civil Engineering.

Tags Education, Hispanic Heritage Month, Latinos