By Martina Baca
Photos by: Zayra Ramos-Ortiz.
Esperanza provides education, support and scholarships to Northeast Ohio Hispanic students. The event was an opportunity for the organization to award scholarships to future college students and to raise funds.
Victor Ruiz has been the executive director of Esperanza for ten years and he was satisfied with the amount of people who were present in program. He is proud to be part of an organization that has such a big impact on so many Hispanic students.
“It feels great [to be part of Esperanza] because we all need support to help realize our dreams and I am happy that we are directly involved,” said Ruiz.
There were multiple speakers at the event; one of these speakers was Miguel Sanchez. Sanchez started as a scholarship and with the time he started volunteering for the organization in different mentoring programs. Today Sanchez is the Esperanza mentoring program coordinator.
He had a great connection with the kids because he had been through similar situations as the kids in the program have been in.
“To me if I can save one life it is all worth it because I know that my life could very easily be in a different direction right now if it would not have been for the people that gravitated to me and wanted for some reason to help me so I now I understand how important that support is,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez thinks that the event was a great opportunity to show the community the impact that the program has.
“It gives a platform and a setting to Esperanza for the community to understand what we’re doing. A lot of people don’t understand the gravity of it, but when you see the hundreds of students walking up [to the stage] and each getting scholarships,” said Sanchez.
He highlights that these scholarships are renewable meaning that the student can re-apply for the scholarships giving them the opportunity to keep their 4 years of college.
Samantha Lugo was not only one of the scholarships recipients but she has being involved with the mentoring and leadership program of Esperanza Inc. for many years. She shared her experiences with the audience on how the program helped her get through difficult times in her life.
“Esperanza helped me through my struggle of been a mom in high school and they were the only ones that handed me a hand when I needed it,” said Lugo. “It is a place where you can be yourself and they are not going to judge you.”
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