Eleven young women from area high schools and IU South Bend, and five women from the community will be honored at the annual Unsung Latina Heroine Award Dinner on Friday, Oct. 13, at Indiana University South Bend.

The evening is organized by the Offices of Multicultural Enhancement and Campus Diversity and is part of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on campus.

The dinner begins at 6 p.m. and will take place in The Grille (Main Cafeteria) in the Administration Building on campus.

Tickets are available for purchase at $10 each by contacting members of the Latino Student Union or the Office of Multicultural Enhancement at (574) 520-4135. Tickets may be purchased in advance until noon Oct. 11.

Eight students from seven area high schools were selected from a record number of nominations submitted by their guidance counselors, teachers, or bilingual education specialists. These exemplary young women are students who are in good academic standing; are actively involved in their school, church, or communities; and have previously received little, if any, prior recognition for their selfless acts of volunteerism.

In addition to the high school Unsung Latina Heroines, three IU South Bend students and five community members will be honored.

This year’s student Unsung Latina Heroines are:

Maria G. Espinosa Jasso Adams High School

Guadalupe Garcilazo Adams High School

Lakrissa Trujillo Bendix School

Virginia Jimenez Bremen High School

Yaneth Hernandez Goshen High School

Julia Rodriguez Plymouth High School

Gabriela Resendiz Riley High School

Izamar García Washington High School

Sineyda Requeno IU South Bend Underclassman

Maria Granados IU South Bend Upperclassman

Teresa Granados IU South Bend Upperclassman

One of the highlights of the evening is the five surprise announcements for outstanding unsung community members. This year community honorees represent South Bend, Elkhart and Plymouth. Heroines are presented to the community near the conclusion of the event.

Entertainment for the evening includes instrumental harp music throughout the dinner by renowned harpist and IU South Bend student Amanda Acosta. The Coro Celestial, a local choral and band from the membership of St. Adalbert Catholic Church, will perform during the evening. Exhibition dances performed by IU South Bend students Esmeralda Verde, Lucia Flores, and Edgar Maciel, also complete the entertainment line-up. The dances include both traditional folkloric dance and modern salsa dance.

Event sponsors include: National City Bank and Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, lead corporate sponsors; the Offices of Multicultural Enhancement, Campus Diversity, Alumni Affairs; the Latino Student Union, and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. For additional information or to purchase tickets you may call Cynthia at (574) 520-4361.

For additional information, contact:

Cynthia Murphy Wardlow,

Hispanic Recruiter/Advisor

IU South Bend

(574) 520-4361