Melissa, Catarina and Jose are among the 7 remarkable students who received the 2011 Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards presented by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. One recipient was selected in each category from hundreds of regional selectees who were selected from 10,000 applicants. Each has an inspiring story to share and we are proud to honor them as Tr3s Agentes de Cambio. It comes to no surprise that Melissa Fich is the 2011 recipient of the Education Award. Melissa mentors young readers at her local library through the Read and Lead program that pairs high school students with elementary students. In the past, Melissa has organized various book drives to benefit Schools in her home state of New Jersey. Melissa served as the Editor-in-Chief to two of her school’s magazines. Additionally, she served as the editor to a monthly newsletter and as head editor of her school newspaper’s sports page. Melissa is currently attending Columbia University where she plans to major in English. Melissa looks to the future optimistically, “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.” The recipient of the 2011 Community Service Award, Catarina Lopez, is the epitome of selfless determination. She has set an inspiring and noteworthy goal of completing 4,000 community service hours by her 25th birthday. Her goal is well underway as she has logged countless hours helping her community already. Catarina, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, spends most of her time working as a teacher’s aide at Peeble’s Elementary School. Catarina also volunteers with the transportation and nutrition departments during her school’s registration period. Additionally, Catarina works with her school district’s bus barn. Her selfless character earned her the title “Community Service Lieutenant” from her school. Catarina encourages volunteerism among her peers, “I want to set a good example. I want everyone to be able to go out and volunteer.” Last but certainly not least is the recipient of the Engineering and Math Award, Jose Antonio. From a very early age Jose’s mom advised him that if he wanted to get further in life, it would be through education; Jose’s 4.22 GPA shows that he certainly took her advice. Jose was named the National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar for placing in the top two percent of Hispanic SAT test takers. Jose is currently studying Civil Engineering at Stanford University; he hopes to see more Latinos excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
