Hispanic Heritage Foundation announces Youth Awards honoring outstanding high school leaders from across the nation

Awardees will be honored across multiple virtual ceremonies, including the Engineering Award Ceremony on Saturday, January 31.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) today announced the Youth Awards recipients for the Engineering category, presented by Southwest Airlines. A total of 30 outstanding high school seniors across the country will be honored for their dedication to serving others, vision, and leadership in the classroom and community. The honorees will be celebrated during a virtual ceremony on Saturday, January 31, at 6 PM AST/ 5 PM EST / 2 PM PST / 12 PM HST.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements and vision of these brilliant, young leaders, who will carry on the tradition of past Youth Awardees,” said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF. “We are grateful to our dedicated sponsors who understand the importance of investing in the youngest and most dynamic segment of our population.  That investment will be worthwhile as we look to these students to move our community and America forward.”

Noelia Velazquez, 2024 Regional Youth Award GOLD recipient for Media and Entertainment and Miss Teen All American, will host the five virtual Youth Awards Ceremonies. She studies Entrepreneurship with minors in Journalism and Fashion at High Point University, where she is a Campus Ambassador, Women’s L.I.F.T. Fellowship Executive Council member, and HPU Vision anchor. Within Alpha Gamma Delta, she serves as Director of Philanthropy. Noelia also founded Girl Strong by Noe, a national initiative empowering young girls through confidence‑building workshops, and she proudly advocates for global cleft care as a Smile Train ambassador.

Click HERE to RSVP and learn more about this group of 30 high school seniors selected from ten regions across the United States:

Blue Region: DE, DC, KY, MD, NJ, PA, VA, and WV

GOLD – Sofia Barrueco Lopez – Laytonsville, MD – Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School

SILVER – Alexa Ramirez-Mate – North Chesterfield, VA – Clover Hill High School

BRONZE – Dileinka Jimenez – Lexington Park, MD – Great Mills High School

Burgundy Region: OK and TX

GOLD – Jason Thomas – San Antonio, TX – CAST Tech High School

SILVER – Ivan Rodriguez – Porter, TX – Kingwood Park High School

BRONZE – Victoria Velasquez Anderson – The Woodlands, TX

College Park High School The Woodlands

Green Region: FL and GA

GOLD – Charles Russo – Weston, FL – Florida Atlantic University High School

SILVER – Zanele Sanchez – Miami, FL – School for Advanced Studies, South

BRONZE – Michael Rodriguez – Miami, FL – Belen Jesuit Preparatory School

Orange Region: AL, AR, LA, MS, NC, SC, and TN

GOLD – Socrates Fonseca – Russellville, LA – Russellville High School

SILVER – Nicolas Aldana Huelga – New Orleans, LA – Benjamin Franklin High School

BRONZE – Maria Dalton Jimenez – Fayetteville, NC – Freedom Christian Academy

Pink Region: IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, OH, and WI

GOLD – Daniel Carrillo – Wildwood, MO – Lafayette High School

SILVER – Mia Castro – Waukee, IA – Waukee High School

BRONZE – Alexander Chavez – Marion, IA – Linn Mar High School

Purple Region: CA and NV  

GOLD – Saoirse Price Sagastume – San Francisco, CA – El Camino High School

SILVER – Crystal Echeverria – Carpinteria, CA – Carpinteria High School

BRONZE – Pilar Rendon – Inglewood, CA – St. Mary’s Academy

Red Region: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, and VT

GOLD – Jaylynn Perez – Brooklyn, NY – New Utrecht High School

SILVER – Yiseul Lee – Plymouth, NH – Plymouth Regional High School

BRONZE – Emily Adriana Lozano – Oakland Gardens, NY – The Bronx High School of Science

Tan Region: AK, AS, GU, HI, PR, and VI

GOLD – Cristina Isabel Garcia Irene – Carolina, PR

Escuela Especializada Central de Artes Visuales

SILVER – Kaleo Ian Fleming – Kailua, HI – Punahou School

BRONZE – Estefania Lopez – Caguas, PR

Escuela Especializada en Ciencias Matemáticas y Tecnología

Teal Region: CO, ID, KS, MT, NE, ND, OR, SD, UT, WA, and WY

GOLD – Matthew Quintero – Caldwell, ID – Caldwell Senior High School

SILVER – David Saenz Barragan – Olympia, WA – Capital High School

BRONZE – Tristan Enjuto – Seattle, WA – Lincoln High School

Yellow Region: AZ and NM

GOLD – Andres De La Cruz – Santa Teresa, NM – Santa Teresa High School

SILVER – Sarah Lazaritt – Phoenix, AZ – Desert Vista High School

BRONZE – Andrew Procter – Tijeras, NM – East Mountain High School

Three students per region will be honored with gold, silver, and bronze medallions at five virtual ceremonies presented by The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Southwest Airlines, and COMCAST NBCUniversal/Telemundo. One national recipient per category will also be recognized and celebrated at the in‑person National Youth Awards ceremony.

Other supporters of the Youth Awards include Capital Wire PR, Es Tiempo, Freddie Mac, Intersect, Minecraft Education, and Teach for America.

About the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Youth Awards

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing education, workforce development, societal impact, and leadership, with culture serving as the cornerstone of its mission. Through the 27-year-old Youth Awards, thousands of high school students from all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and D.C., have been recognized for their achievements in the classroom and community, and their focus on a career path in all STEM areas, entrepreneurship, media, public service, and other categories. Visit www.HispanicHeritage.org.

Follow HHF on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok.  Listen to the HHF podcast Fritanga on your favorite streaming service and HHF YouTube channel.

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Media Contact: Nicolas@HispanicHeritage.org