12 Win Hispanic Heritage Scholarships
(From the San Diego Union Tribune)

April 25, 2003

Viridiana Enriquez's friends call her "the meeting girl."

That's because the 17-year-old high school senior is involved in so many extracurricular activities that she spends most of her lunch breaks going to meetings to help plan and organize events.

"I like to be involved and I like to help the community," said Viridiana, who plans to attend the University of California San Diego in the fall.

Viridiana, who will graduate this summer from Sweetwater High School in National City, is one of 12 San Diego County students recognized by the Hispanic Heritage Awards Foundation, a nonprofit group that celebrates the achievements of Hispanic Americans.

She is one of five South Bay students to receive an award.

Viridiana and five other gold medallion winners will each receive a $2,000 scholarship. Six silver medallion winners will receive scholarships of $1,000. The awards will be presented Tuesday at The Prado in Balboa Park.

The Hispanic Heritage Awards Foundation began its youth awards program six years ago to applaud students who serve as role models to their peers by excelling in school and volunteering in their communities.

Viridiana, the gold medallion winner in the academic excellence category, works with the PURE Club, a community service organization, and Christmas in July, a charity group that repairs homes for the poor.

She has tutored students at her younger brother's elementary school, and this year she is senior editor of her school's yearbook and vice president of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or MEChA.

Despite her busy schedule, Viridiana has maintained a grade-point average of 4.36 and is ranked fourth in her graduating class.

Inspired by a counselor at her school, Viridiana said she wants to become a psychologist or counselor so she can help people take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

"Some students don't really know about the resources that are out there. They wait for the resources to come to them . . . they need to have initiative," Viridiana said. "(Some people) think because they live in a low-income community they're just going to be another generation of house cleaners."

Viridiana, the first person in her immediate family to be attending a four-year university, wants to dispel those generalizations and prove to her peers they can overcome any obstacle.

"We're the future leaders of our own community," she said. "A good way to change stereotypes is by setting an example and proving to everyone you can do it."

The foundation gives out 144 awards to teens throughout the nation. One national winner will be chosen from the pool of regional winners and will receive a $5,000 scholarship and a laptop computer.

Other gold medallion winners are:

Angelica Riestra, 18, Gompers Secondary School in San Diego and a participant in UCSD's CHUM (Consortium of High Schools, the Universities and Medical Schools) Program, in the category of health and science. Her grade-point average is 4.46. She is a four-time first-place winner at the Greater San Diego Science Fair, a two-time California State Science Fair winner, and a two-time winner of the National Science Fair for the National Organization of Black Chemists and Engineers. She has worked every summer since the seventh grade performing scientific research at UCSD.

Vanessa Guadalupe Guzman, 17, Hilltop High School in Chula Vista in the category of journalism. Her grade-point average is 3.7. She has worked at the school newspaper as advertising director and as editor, alongside three other students. She also coaches students in writing.

Juan D. Ochoa, 17, Sweetwater High School in the leadership/community service category. He has a grade-point average of 4.21. He is president of the school's Associated Student Body organization, where he helped raise $100,000 for victims of terrorism, has fed the homeless through a Thanksgiving food drive, visited and handed out toys to children in hospital cancer wards, and has worked phone banks to urge voters to pass a school bond measure.

Jose Luis Naranjo Montoya, 18, Chula Vista High School in the mathematics category. He has a grade-point average of 4.32. He plays the flute, plays soccer and is on the school's swim team. He also stays after school to tutor other students in math and science. Jose has participated in UCSD's Upward Bound program and plans to earn a degree in engineering.

Beatriz Paula Calamaco, 17, Gompers Secondary School in the category of sports. Her grade-point average is 3.91. She joined the tennis team as a freshman and she and a partner placed second in the Harbor League playing doubles. She plays soccer in a league outside her school district, participates in swing dancing, Aztec dancing and Ballet Folklorico. She is a member of Mujeres del Futuro, MEChA, the California Scholarship Federation and the Japanese Club. She plans to earn a degree in psychology.

Winners of the silver medallion awards are: Nivardo Valenzuela, 18, La Costa Canyon High School, in the category of academic excellence; Andrew Christopher Fischer, 17, La Jolla High School, health and science; Fernanda Coppel, 17, University of San Diego High School, journalism; Yesica Salgado, 17, Mission Bay High School, leadership/community service; Victoria L. Garcia, 17, San Dieguito Academy, mathematics category; and Jaquelin Renee Crisp, 17, Chaparral High School, in the sports category.
 

  



 
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