Washington, DC – Today, The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) announced the recipients of the Washington, DC Regional Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards (see names below). Local high school seniors will be honored for their leadership in the classroom and community during a ceremony at the Gallup World Headquarters, 901 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004 on Monday, December 17, 2018 from 6pm to 8pm. In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Youth Awards, the ceremony will spotlight past Youth Awardees with special guests in attendance. Over the past 20 years, the program has awarded nearly three thousand grants and one hundred percent of recipients have move on to college. To follow the Youth Awards Ceremony on social media, use the hashtag #YouthAwards2018.  

The Youth Awardees will receive grants for their education, or to fund an idea or community project to encourage “actionable leadership,” which is HHF’s call to action. The 2018 recipients who have been selected from a pool of almost 13,000 applicants will become part of the HHF leadership cycle where they will have the opportunity to be mentored by past Youth Awardees as they prepare to attend college and into their careers through HHF’s award-winning Latinos On Fast Track (LOFT) workforce development program. The Youth Awards are taking place in 10 regions across the country with prestigious Hispanic Heritage Youth Awardees selected from thousands of applicants. The average GPA for the students is nearly a 4.0. 

“We are thrilled to honor yet another class of outstanding young Latino leaders from Washington, D.C. who will certainly make an impact on our communities and workforce as they move forward in their careers,” said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO, HHF. “We also applaud the vision of our sponsors as they share our focus in supporting what we consider priority fields for America.  We believe these are the young leaders of today, not tomorrow and frankly, we can’t afford to wait.  I will say that after 20 years of Youth Awards, there is no shortage of top, young, Latino talent.”   

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) will also recognize a parent with the Hispanic Heritage Parent Award, sponsored by Pearson in honor of the pivotal role parents play in the educational success of Latino youth. Parents are nominated by 200 recipients of the prestigious Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards; parent award winners will be announced at the regional ceremonies.  

After the regional ceremonies, the Regional Youth Awards recipients will be narrowed to one National Youth Award recipient for each of the six categories and celebrated at the National Youth Awards presentation along with celebrities who are recognized for being role models. National Awardees will also receive an all-expense-paid trip to the ceremony (location TBD).  

Additional partners of the Youth Awards include Capital Wire, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Crowell & Moring, EsTiempo, Havas FORMULATIN, Indie Desk, Macy’s NASCAR, Teach for America, UPS, VMe and YWCA. HHF also partners with thousands of high schools, colleges, community organizations, media outlets and business partners on the program.   

2018 Washington, D.C. Regional Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards Recipients: 

Business & Entrepreneurship, sponsored by BBVA Compass:

Gold: Jaylen Barrientos-Collins

Silver: Sofia Alli

Bronze: Gabriela Segears

Community Service, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive:

Gold: Amy Rivera

Silver: Isabella Salinas

Bronze: Veronica Gutierrez

Education, sponsored by Southwest Airlines (Official Airlines of the Youth Awards):

Gold: Ella Gantman

Silver: Gabrielle Mastando

Bronze: Michelle Lopez

Healthcare & Science, sponsored by CVS Health:

Gold: Alyssa Maldonado

Silver: Jesus Neyra

Bronze: Kellyn Urquilla Osorio

Technology & Engineering, sponsored by Google:

Gold: Leticia Ramirez

Silver: Connor Cerezo-Allen

Bronze: Emily Sologuren

About Hispanic Heritage Foundation

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation focuses on education, workforce development, leadership and culture.  The nonprofit is headquartered in Washington, DC, and Los Angeles with satellite workspaces in New York, Silicon Valley, San Antonio, and Miami (Visit www.HispanicHeritage.org). Follow HHF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.