| Melissa Anne Gonzalez, a senior at Loyola School, is the Silver Medallion 2004 Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards New York Regional Winner in Journalism, sponsored by NBC and Telemundo. Melissa has a passion for writing. She is Editor-in-Chief of her school?s newspaper, Oratory Captain for the Speech Team with whom she advanced to semi-finals at the New York State Forensics Championships during her first season, presides over the Drama Club, and serves as Vice President of the Film Club. She has received the Gold Medal extracurricular activity award for her participation in the school newspaper and the Drama Society, and the Bronze Medal for speech. This year she received an Xavier University Book Award, an AP Scholar Certificate, and the National Hispanic Recognition Award from the College Board. Melissa also spends countless hours volunteering for various organizations, including the Village Temple, the Terrence Cardinal Cooke Health Center, and the Wallace Hall Help-for-the-Homeless Program in New York City. Melissa is of Puerto Rican descent and plans to pursue a double major in English and Journalism when she attends college in the fall. |
