The Connection

The Hispanic Leadership Alliance (HLA) presented scholarships to 14 graduating high school seniors, selected based on academic merit, letters of recommendation and personal essays. Each student is the first in his or her family to attend college, and received awards in the amount of $1,000 each. They were honored during a special dinner held at El Tio Grill in Falls Church on Monday, May 18.

“I felt really honored,” said Carolina Sosa, who will study at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. While the students all share academic prowess in common, what sets each of them apart is the ability to make their stories come to life. One student, Hassly J. Pacheco Hernández, arrived to the United States at the age of 8 from Honduras, traveling on her own.

“The train was what terrified me the most because I needed to get on top of a moving train and sometimes many people didn’t make it and would fall under the rails,” she wrote in her application essay about journeying to the United States to be reunited with her family. She continues to write, saying she learned that life would still be more difficult than she imagined. In part, because of HLA, though, she will have the opportunity to attend college upon graduating.

D’Erika Arboleda is an award recipient from Fairfax High School supported by Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza, and her husband, Louis. She attended first grade in Ecuador and plans to attend Southeastern University in Florida. Beyond that she said she is interested in the mission field.

“I am really inspired by my parents who show me that determination pays off. They always encouraged me,” she said. Similarly, Mount Vernon senior, Susette Vásquez who plans to study biology at George Mason University in the fall, said that family is what encouraged her to become pre-med.

“My favorite subject in school was math, but growing up with siblings encouraged me to pursue the sciences and medicine,” she said.

The average GPA among all the recipients was 3.83, and they all were enrolled in honors, Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate classes.

Fairfax High School senior Melvin Lopez and West Springfield High School senior Kevin Guevara both said they would like to attend college and go on to become educators.

“I would like to teach math at the college level,” said Lopez. “I was surprised and excited to receive the award.” These awards are something that not only students, but their teachers and administrators are also excited about.

“My principal pulled me out of class to tell me I won,” said Michelle Luna, who attends J.E.B. Stuart High School. “This is a huge blessing. Likewise, Westfield High School senior Isabel Dávila learned about the news from her principal.

“It’s really amazing,” said Dávila. “I feel really blessed and honored.”

This year was the HLA’s tenth annual scholarship awards banquet. They have partnerships with the Latino Leadership Club at Mount Vernon High School, the Latin American Student Association at Robinson Secondary School and the Hispanic Heritage Club at West Springfield High School.

The following students each received $1,000 scholarships to go toward their college tuition.

D’Erika Arboleda, Fairfax High School

Flor Jasmin Chávez Cruz, J.E.B. Stuart High School

Natalia Claudia Chávez Choque, McLean High School

Wendy Beatríz Chávez Soriano, Herndon High School

Isabel Dávila, Westfield High School

Kevin Guevara Mejia, West Springfield high School

Michelle Luna-Victoria, Stuart High School

Melvin López, Fairfax High School

Matias Osei, West Potomac High School

Hassly Pacheco Hernández, Herndon High School

María Alejandra Rojas Zamorano, J.E.B. Stuart High School

Carolina Sosa, Westfield High School

María Fernanda Sotillo Velásquez, Robinson High School

Susette Vásquez, Mount Vernon High School