As part of the annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, high school students from Middle Tennessee were invited to participate in an essay and multimedia contest for young Latino writers.

The purpose of this contest is to listen to the voices of young people reflecting on the theme “My Hispanic Roots, My American Dream.”

We would like to thank the  teachers of Metro Nashville Public Schools for encouraging their students to submit essays and multimedia projects, and for all they do to celebrate our roots. We would like to give special recognition to Sra. Solveig Novelo of Hunters Lane High School, Anne Moctezuma-Baker at Martin Luther King Jr Magnet High School, Mrs. Guzman Ardon at Antioch High School, Mrs. Robinson at John Overton High School, Mr. Thorps of Cane Ridge High School, who all had students submit essays.

Our winner of the contest and a new laptop computer (to write those college essays!) was:

Amy Guerrero Hernandez Martin Luther King Jr Academic Magnet High School

A short excerpt of Amy’s essay:

My American Dream is not to have a decent home and provide for my family through hard work and dedication; my parents have already achieved that for me and have shown me it is possible, that the Dream can become a reality. My Mexican­American Dream has always been to inform people around me about the importance of their voice and individuality, whether it is during an election season or in class to educate a peer about the dangers of their ignorance.

These essays also stood out with their poetic and powerful messages and were chosen as finalists. Click on each name to read that student’s essay.

Ana Flavia Negrín Yerena Martin Luther King Jr Academic Magnet High School

Brayan Hernandez, Antioch High School

Adriana Elias, Antioch High school