Sun Valley, ID, May 21, 2007, – Blackfoot High School Senior Jessica Gonzalez and Highland High School Senior Mike Fernandez garnered the two $1000 North Wind, Inc scholarships at the 2007 Hispanic Youth Symposium (HYS) held in Sun Valley April 27-29. Miss Gonzalez and
Mr. Fernandez were part of more than 130 Idaho Latino high school students that received college scholarships at this year’s symposium. Over $1.6 million in scholarships were awarded at this year’s symposium.
The target of the symposium, which is sponsored by the Department of Energy and the contractors at the Idaho National Laboratory, is to encourage Hispanic teens to seek better futures for themselves by remaining in school and pursuing a college education. During the event, students learned about the value of a good education and were offered opportunities to explore diverse future career paths by attending various workshops, interactive skills contests and presentations by motivational speakers.
Over 300 junior and senior high school students from all over the state of Idaho attended the symposium, which is in its 18th year. For many attendees, an HYS scholarship is the only opportunity they have to further their education. Many of the HYS participants are the first in their families to have the opportunity to attend college.
Miss Gonzalez is the daughter of Graciela Martinez and Edgar Gonzalez. She is going to attend the College of Southern Idaho next fall.
Mr. Fernandez is the son of Roy and Marviel Fernandez. He is considering attending Idaho State University where he plans to study nuclear engineering.
