| A Notre Dame High School senior, Elizabeth Ojeda, is the Silver Medallion 2003 Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards San Francisco Regional Winner for Mathematics, sponsored by ExxonMobil. Elizabeth attributes both the success in her life and her strong and proud sense of her heritage to her family. She says, ?My mother is the rock that keeps everything together and my father is the clown that keeps everyone laughing. My grandmother is like a second mother, keeping me most in touch with the Hispanic culture through language, good food, history and religion.? Her teachers describe her as an organized student who is always willing to go the extra mile. An example of her character is when she and some of her classmates took the initiative to start a school club named Unidas, a community service based club. Through this club, she developed the Patricia Vega Mentor Program, going to the local library once a week and tutoring children. A majority of these children are recent immigrants who do not know the language and are having a difficult time adjusting in the United States. The goal of the mentor program is to help them learn technology and to help them better understand the new culture in which they live. Elizabeth is the Co-Vice President of Unidas. She has also participated in other service programs, including Los Ninos Immersions. |
