NAHANT — The Lynn Hispanic Scholarship Fund held its 33rd annual gala at the Bayside, where 13 students from Lynn were honored with scholarships.
The LHSF was founded by Maria Luz “Lucy” Tizol in 1991 to assist and support Latino and Hispanic graduates from Lynn heading to college.
“The Lynn Hispanic Scholarship Fund has awarded nearly $150,000 in scholarship funds to well-deserving students,” Dr. Laura Luna, the event’s master of ceremonies, said.
LHSF President Vicky Rivera thanked everyone in attendance, all board members, the 2024 Scholarship Selection Committee, and everyone else who made it possible for the organization to hand out 13 scholarships.
Keynote Speaker Brenda Rodriguez, CEO of Lynn Community Health Center, gave a moving speech about her beginnings and how she got to where she is now.
“My young unicorns, congratulations to you and your families for this great accomplishment,” Rodriguez said to the scholarship recipients.
Rodriguez described her backstory. Her mother and father, who moved to the U.S. from Puerto Rico, eventually divorced. Her mom moved her and her siblings from Chelsea to Boston, where they were the first Latino family in their neighborhood. They didn’t speak English and she and her siblings went to a bilingual school.
“We lived in a vermin-infested, slumlord apartment. Over the years, our neighborhood was eviscerated by the crack epidemic, the AIDS epidemic, and gun violence,” Rodriguez said.
She said she never forgets Christmas time as a child, because she was given gifts through a social worker at a welfare office. Years later, she ended up working for the office that gave her family the gifts and running that specific program.
“So, how did someone like me, who didn’t speak English, who was raped and pregnant at 11, got kicked out of middle school, was a high-school dropout, was homeless, and started college poorly, getting a D- in my first college paper, and always, always starting over — How did I end up leading a complex multi-million-dollar health-care enterprise, and be joyful and confident in my flow?” Rodriguez said.
She told the audience that “our circumstances will not dictate our future” and said there are three steps she uses to develop a strong mindset: Forgive the times you didn’t follow through, follow up, or wasted precious time, activate your mindset, and step up your agency.
“With a strong mindset, you can lift not just yourself above your circumstances, but also your family, your organization, and even an entire community,” Rodriguez said. “The things that were once my crutch are now my platform.”
The recipient of the inaugural Jandriel Heredia Memorial Scholarship was surprised with the honor by Heredia’s mother, Ivelisse Garcia.
Heredia died in September 2023 after succumbing to injuries he sustained during the Essex Street shooting in Lynn.
“There are definitely young men out there in the world that resemble the same qualities as my son, and it is my honor to present a special student with this excellent award. A bright student who embodies many of the characteristics that my son Jandriel had,” Garcia said.
The scholarship was given to Lynn Vocational Technical Institute graduate Angel Luis Frias, who will be attending Northeastern University in the fall with plans to major in mechanical engineering.
The other scholarship recipients were Joselyn Armas Macario, a Lynn English High School graduate planning to attend Babson College for business administration; Anderson David Blanco, an LVTI graduate planning to attend Boston University for computer science; Kelly J. De Leon Lopez, a KIPP Academy graduate planning to attend Wentworth Institute of Technology for engineering; Salome Duque Lopera, a Lynn Classical High School graduate planning to attend North Shore Community College for health care; Esteban Cubides Ramirez, an LVTI graduate planning to attend MIT for computer science; Fernanda M. Lopez, an LVTI graduate planning to attend the University of Pennsylvania for nursing; Flory Lizette Mendez Merida, a KIPP Academy graduate planning to attend Tufts University for engineering; Alejandro J. Nina Duran, a KIPP Academy graduate planning to attend Duke University for economics; Diego Jose Palacios Ordonez, a Lynn English graduate planning to attend NSCC for criminal justice; Elibette Shantal Rodriguez Del Leon, an LVTI graduate planning to attend UMass Lowell for business administration; Axel Alexander Velasquez, a Lynn English graduate planning to attend the University of Pennsylvania for nursing; and Giselle Vides Perlera, an LVTI graduate planning to attend Union College for biochemistry.
