HHF Hosts 15th Youth Awards in Miami!

For Immediate Release:                                                                                               

HISPANIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION HOSTS 15^th ANNUAL NATIONAL YOUTH AWARDS AT BONG’S IN MIAMI ON JANUARY 30

Actress Genesis Rodriguez, a Miami Teacher, and Six High School Students from across the United States were Honored and provided with Grants and Laptops

MIAMI, FL – Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) and its sponsors held its 15th Annual National Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards in honor of Actress Genesis Rodriguez, a South Florida Teacher, and six Latino High School students from across the country for their leadership in the classroom and community.  The students were narrowed down from thousands of applicants to hundreds of regional recipients who were celebrated at ceremonies in 10 markets to six National Youth Awardees.  The average GPA of the students was nearly a 4.0.  Genesis Rodriguez received the Inspira Award for serving as a role model in the public eye and will serve as the youth spokesperson for HHF in 2014 including a PSA campaign.

The ceremony details were the following:

Thursday, January 30, 2014
Bongos Cuban Café
601 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Reception and Media Op
11:00 a.m. – 12 p.m. Ceremony
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Lunch

The Youth Awardees and Educator were:

• Genesis Miranda, Phoenix, AZ, Betty Fairfax High School, for Business & Entrepreneurship presented by BBVA Compass (attending University of Pennsylvania or Arizona State University)
• Elsa Alvarado, Glendale, NY, Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, for Education presented by Southwest Airlines, Official Airlines of the Youth Awards (attending Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, or George Washington University)
• André Guzmán, Gaithersburg, MD, Poolesville High School, for Engineering & Mathematics presented by ExxonMobil (attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology or Stanford University)
• Jaime López, Pharr, TX, Pharr San Juan Alamo North High School, for Healthcare & Science presented by CVS Caremark Workforce Initiatives (attending Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania or Harvard College)
• Alejandra MacDougall, Downey, CA, Warren High School, for Innovation & Technology presented by Entertainment Software Association (attending Stanford University, University of California – Berkeley or Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Juan Migone, Augusta, GA, Aquinas High School, for Nutrition & Fitness presented by Herbalife (attending New York University, University of Georgia, DePaul University or Trinity College)
• Javeshnev Azua, Pembroke Pines, FL, Teacher at Broward County Public Schools for Innovative Educator Award, presented by Qlovi and ALAS (Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents)

“We were thrilled to honor yet another class of outstanding young Latino leaders who will certainly make an impact on our communities and workforce as they move forward in their careers,” said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF.  “We applaud the vision of our sponsors as they share our focus in what we consider priority fields for America.  We truly believe they are leaders of today, not tomorrow.  Frankly, we can’t afford to wait.”

The Youth Awards program is the beginning of HHF’s award-winning Leadership Cycle, as Youth Awardees and other students are tracked, prepared and positioned through the Latinos On Fast Track (LOFT) program as they transition from high school, to college and graduate school, and well into their careers.  Through LOFT, tens of vetted thousands of students and young professionals are connected to each other and experts in their fields; participate in over 30 leadership trainings, industry-tailored symposia and workshops; and hundreds are placed into internships, mentorships, fellowships and full-time positions with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.

In addition to the category sponsors, Foundation sponsors include Transamerica – the Official Insurance Company of the Youth Awards, UPS, Adelante Capital, and Goldman Sachs. Other Youth Awards partners include: Saber Es Poder, OCI Group, Voto Latino, Discovery en Español, AT&T It Can Wait Campaign, City Year, Jefferson Awards, and Cesar Chavez Foundation.

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which inspires, identifies, prepares and positions Latino leaders for classroom, community and workforce to meet America’s priorities.  HHF has offices in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, New York and Michigan State University which houses the LOFT Institute.  HHF also promotes Latino cultural pride, accomplishment, and the great promise of the community through public awareness campaigns seen by millions.  Visit www.HispanicHeritage.org.  Join and follow HHF on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/hispanicheritage and Twitter @HHFoundation.

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Media contacts:

Santiago Melli-Huber                                                         Craig Sinel
Hispanic Heritage Foundation                                             Fortyseven Communications
(202) 558-9473                                                                  (323) 658-1200
[email protected]                                                       [email protected]