A neurosurgeon, philanthropist and educator served as the inspiration for the winning submissions in the Duval County Public Schools Hispanic Heritage Month essay contest.
Elementary, middle and high school students were challenged to write about a Hispanic person in Northeast Florida who has made an impact on the region.
Wonderous words
Aoife Lewis won the elementary essay contest for her reflection about San Jose Elementary teacher Aurelio Cruz.
Nicole Jiang won the high school contest for her perspective about Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa.
Shannialia Perez Montero won the middle school essay contest for her words about Three Grains of Rice founder and retired tech executive Ed Perez.
“When I heard about Ed Perez’s story, I felt represented being a Cuban American girl myself,” Perez Montero wrote in her winning essay. “My parents came from communist Cuba when I was only two years old. Ed Perez’s story motivates me to reach my goals, and I would love one day to meet this great and influential man.”
To her surprise, she did. Perez joined Shannialia and her family during last week’s luncheon inside the Schultz Center.
“It inspired me to do better to make sure I don’t give up on anything I believe in,” Shannialia said after meeting Perez.
Each winner received a customized jersey from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ingrid Carias, the Duval Schools director of English as a Second Language and World Languages, says the contest allows students to envision their future amid the present occupations of local Latino residents.
“We are representing every single Hispanic culture,” Carias says. “We have more than 125 different languages throughout our district. This is powerful for the students to see not only one country, but the variety of countries that we have in our culture.”
Connections through science
Nicole is a junior at Stanton College Prep. She met Quinones-Hinojosa through the Mayo Clinic SPARK program — an initiative that connects rising juniors and seniors interested in biomedical sciences with Mayo Clinic faculty.
“I found myself swirled into an unexpected whirlpool of fascination from hearing how he overcame extreme hardship and the loss of his sister to pursue medicine,” Jiang wrote in her winning essay. “By the end of his story, I witnessed myself (and asked) a question of unprecedented introspection: Who would I be, and where could I go, if I had that same drive?”
Applications for the 2027 SPARK program, which is open to Duval and St. Johns County students, will open Oct. 15.
Representation matters
Carias says the annual essay contest and luncheon are a way to show Latino and Hispanic students they are seen and heard by the district.
The Schultz Center was adorned with flags from across the Latino diaspora, including Honduras and Mexico — two countries that celebrate their independence during Hispanic Heritage Month.
District data indicates 17% of Duval students are Hispanic, up from 13% in 2020.
Adriel Rocha, vice president for community impact and football development for the Jacksonville Jaguars, provided remarks for the district’s event.
The Jaguars Foundation is among Northeast Florida businesses and organizations that have sponsored Hispanic Heritage Month events and celebrations.
In a conversation with reporters in September, after the Jaguars’ recognition of local tackle football and flag football players for Hispanic Heritage Month, Rocha noted that the importance of recognizing Hispanic and Latino students is that it will serve as an inspiration to others.
“You want to be inspired by that next person,” Rocha said. “So I think it means a lot to everybody, just to see somebody in their hometown, in their area, is accomplishing. Hopefully, it allows them to want to take the next step as well.”
