Hispanic Heritage Foundation recognizes Brawley senior
BRAWLEY — Since she was little, Julitza Alvarez has felt a passion for business. Over the years, she’s sold stickers, bracelets and other odds and ends to friends, relatives and acquaintances.
Her mother, Martha, affirms her daughter’s natural talent for entrepreneurism. It hasn’t hurt that Julitza also is well-organized and gifted with numbers. It’s always come easy for her.
On Monday, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) acknowledged these talents in announcing she had won a Silver Award in Entrepreneurship in the organization’s annual Youth Awards.
HHF founded the Youth Awards in 1998. The awards honor Latino high school seniors who excel in the classroom and community and for their excellence in one of the following categories: Business & Finances, Entrepreneurship, Education, Healthcare & Science, Media & Entertainment, Sports, and Technology.
Gold, Silver and Bronze recipients are selected in each category and receive a one-time grant to fund their college education or to fund a community service effort that tackles a social issue.
Winners of this year’s Youth Awards will be recognized in a virtual ceremony today.
“I’m excited for her,” Martha Alvarez said of her daughter. “She has worked hard to achieve this.”
The Brawley Union senior, whose family is of Mexican origin, holds a grade point average 4.0.
“Entrepreneurship is like taking a leap of faith,” Julitza said.
After enrolling in a marketing class last summer, the student took her own leap of faith by merging her creativity, sewing skills, passion for sustainable fabrics, and her vision in creating a small fashion business.
This effort has inspired Julitza to pursue a career in business. Today, she has engaged with like-minded entrepreneurs and broadened her understanding of how small businesses can influence their communities and promote positive social change.
She said her goal is to use the business as a platform to raise awareness and initiate a shift towards more sustainable fashion.
The foundation said Julitza enjoys combining her interests and hobbies with the opportunity to give back to her community, as she spends much of her time running and training for competitions as a member of her school’s cross-country team.
Plus, Julitza said she is excited every time she has the opportunity to participate in races that help raise awareness and fundraise for important causes, such as the Brawley Boys and Girls Club.
The young entrepreneur, who plans to study business administration with an emphasis in economics, said she has already been accepted at the universities of California in Irvine and San Marcos, but she’s hopeful for similar offers from Berkeley, Los Angeles or Riverside.
Colgate-Palmolive will award scholarships to the winning students to go with the foundation’s grant award. Recipients will be mentored as they prepare for college and careers through the foundation’s award-winning Latino On Fast Track (LOFT) workforce development program.
“We are delighted to honor another outstanding class of award-winning youth who will continue the tradition of excellence from previous recipients,” said Foundation President and CEO Antonio Tijerino. “There is no shortage of Latino talent in the United States, and we are grateful to our dedicated sponsors who understand the importance of investing in the youngest and most dynamic segment of our population. We are in good hands as a community and as a country with these outstanding young leaders in the future.”
Martha Alvarez concluded by saying that her daughter, apart from her work in the community and her academic performance, supports her at home with the youngest members of the family.
“She’s very responsible,” Martha said.