October 29, 2003
Miami-dade Students, Educators To Be Honored
With Nova Southeastern University’s Cervantes Awards
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL- More than two dozen Miami-Dade County students
and educators will be honored by Nova Southeastern University, as NSU’s
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services and its Hispanic
Advisory Board host the Sixth Annual Cervantes Awards this Wednesday,
October 29, from 6-8 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Miami.
Eight elementary, middle, and high school students will receive the
Cervantes Outstanding Student Essay Award based on judged essays from
schools across Miami-Dade County. Topics included “What I value
about Hispanic culture” for fifth graders; “Hispanic role
models who have influenced my life” for eighth graders; and “How
my education has led me to contribute to the Hispanic community of Miami” for
high school seniors. The student award recipients will also receive a
gift certificate and the book Don Quixote.
First place student winners in respective elementary, middle, and high
school categories include: Andreea Coman, Coral Park Elementary School;
Maylén Fernández, West Miami Middle School; Sergio Martínez-Vigo,
Miami Killian Senior High School. Second place winners are: María
Rodríguez, Royal Palm Elementary School; Joanne Flovella, Thomas
Jefferson Middle School; Daniel Bravo, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School.
Third place honorees include: Javier Romero, North Twin Lakes Elementary
School; and Jahmel Proff, Parkway Middle School.
Eighteen educators will receive the Cervantes Outstanding Educator
Award based on their significant efforts to support excellence in the
education of Hispanic students in Miami-Dade County. They include: Maria
Acosta (Emerson Elementary School), Francisa Chase (Gulliver Preparatory
School), Josefina R. Chirino (Belen Jesuit Preparatory School), Hilda
de la Vega (Our Lady of Lourdes Academy), Elena DeVilliers (Palmer Trinity
School), Edward Fernandez (Monsignor Edward Pace High School), Lilia
Garcia (Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Division of Life Skills
and Special Projects), Amelia Gonzalez (Christopher Columbus High School),
Perla Tabares Hantman (Miami-Dade County School Board Member), Pablo
Hernández (Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary School), Enrique
Horstmann (Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Division of Non-Instructional
Staffing), Aida Marrero (North Beach Elementary School), Annie Mecias
(Dade Christian School), Marta Mildred Mejia (Crestview Elementary School),
Marcos M. Moran (Barbara Goleman Senior High School), William Murphy
(Archbishop Curley – Notre Dame High School), Joan Reilly (LaSalle
High School), and Ricardo Rodriguez (Glades Middle School).
Horacio Aguirre of Diario Las Americas, will also receive a special
Cervantes Award for his leadership and dedication to the Hispanic community,
in part for his role as the founding Editor and Editorial Writer of Diario
Las Americas, Miami’s original Spanish language daily newspaper
which has been published continuously since July 4, 1953. Dr. Aguirre
holds a law and political science degree from the University of Panama
and has served in numerous capacities with the Inter American Press Association.
Dr. Aguirre also maintains membership in organizations including the
World Press Freedom Committee, World Association of Newspapers, the Spain-USA
Chamber of Commerce, the Panamanian Academy of International Law and
the Association of Cuban Journalists in Exile. Dr. Horacio Aguirre has
been recognized by many prestigious organizations, universities and even
Hispanic governments for his tremendous contributions to his community.-
NSU’s Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services,
based at NSU’s North Miami Beach campus, is the largest accredited
graduate school of education in the United States with more than 12,000
students annually in more than 50 sites in the U.S. and abroad, and via
a variety of distance education technologies. FGSEHS, a leader in graduate
distance education for educators, organizational leaders, and trainers
throughout the world, has more than 7,000 students in graduate education
programs in Florida alone, including both online programs and live classes
at NSU locations statewide.
For more information on NSU’s Cervantes Awards reception-an
officially recognized event of the Hispanic Heritage Festival-contact
NSU’s Heather Jamieson at (954) 262-8779 or Brian Croswhite at
(954) 262-8651.
