October 23, 2007

Media Contact:
Lourdes Rodriguez-Barrera
NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5309
954-445-1287

Miami-Dade Students, Educators To Be Honored At Nova Southeastern University’s Cervantes Awards

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA (DAVIE)— Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Fischler School of Education and Human Services and its Hispanic Advisory Board, will join more than 300 parents, educators, and NSU faculty administrators as they present the 10th Annual Cervantes Award for Hispanic Education.

More than two dozen Miami-Dade County students and educators will be honored during this gala event on Oct. 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Radisson, 1601 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.

Nine awards will be presented to students who competed in an essay contest about Hispanic Heritage. First place student winners in respective elementary, middle, and high school categories include: Corin Blount (Crestview Elementary School); Dafne Ozuna (Howard Drive Elementary School); Michael Ramos (Pinecrest Preparatory School); Kassandra Rivera (Ruben Dario Middle School); Teresita Gonzalez (Shenandoah Middle School); Natalie Smith (Gulliver Middle School); Jennifer Cespedes (School for Advanced Studies); Anna Ferrer (Miami Coral Park Senior High School); and Noel Marie Laplume (La Salle High School).

Twenty educators will be recognized as Cervantes Outstanding Educators based on their significant efforts to support excellence in the education of Hispanic students in Miami-Dade County. They include: Carmen Castello (St. Brendan High School); Joel Davis (Westminster Christian School); Jose Luis Ramirez (Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School); Roberta Bassuk (Christopher Columbus High School); Nancy Hernandez (Brito Miami Private School); Luis Mayo (Monsignor Edward Pace High School); Ivette Rossi (Dade Christian School); Jorge Vargas (Allison Academy); Mary Hernandez (Greater Miami Adventist Academy); Lucy Blanco (Our Lady of Lourdes Academy); Jimmy Perez (Belen Jesuit Preparatory School); Maria Castaigne (North Dade Center for Modern Languages); Freddie Woodson (Miami Dade County Public Schools); Rosana D. Herrera (Palm Springs Elementary); Carolina Naveiras (Hialeah Elementary School); Maria Mason (Young Women’s Preparatory Academy); Caridad Montano (Lamar Louise Curry Middle School); Magda Orta (Lindsey Hopkins Technical Education Center) and Lillian Lopez (South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce).

Additionally, three NSU students pursuing degrees in education will be recognized as the recipients of a Hispanic Heritage Scholarship. The scholarships valued at $10,000 will be presented to undergraduate students Silvia Pavon of Miami, Christina Galindo of Miami and Dolly Bembanaste of Davie.

A special Cervantes Award will be presented to author, local newspaper columnist and Spanish radio personality Enrique Cordoba Rocha. Born in Cartagena, Colombia, Cordoba Rocha has served as Consul of Quito, Ecuador, and has led several diplomatic missions to Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America in this role. He is author of acclaimed books Cien Voces de América (One Hundred Voices of the Americas) and Mi Pueblo, El Mundo Y Yo (My Town, My World And I).  Since July 1987, he has produced and hosted a talk show on Spanish Caracol Radio Station (1260 AM) from Coral Gables. This daily program showcases writers, musicians, artists, travelers and Latin personalities with exemplary experiences.  He currently contributes biweekly columns to El Nuevo Herald.

About Fischler School of Education and Human Services at NSU: Serving more than 15,000 students in approximately 40 countries, Nova Southeastern University’s Fischler School of Education and Human Services is one of the largest schools of education at an accredited university in the United States. When we opened our doors more than 35 years ago, we shattered the barriers of traditional learning, causing a ripple effect that can still be felt today. Online, On-site, Or on our modern, 18-acre campus in North Miami Beach, Florida, our ideas, our approach, and our programs—found nowhere else in the nation—inspire our students to inspire the people around them to move the world.

About Nova Southeastern University - Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University is a dynamic fully accredited institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs of distinction from preschool through the professional and doctoral levels. NSU has more than 26,000 students and is the sixth largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally. The university awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, early childhood, psychology and other social sciences. For more information, visit www.nova.edu.