PUEBLO — March is Women's History Month, and one young woman in Pueblo is making history of her own.
On March 2nd, Charleigh Romero-Rodriguez is being honored through the 2020 Hispanic Heritage Foundation Awardsfor her efforts in social justice, presented by Nike.
Rodriguez faced contestants from all over the western United States, including Washington, Oregon, Montana, and ultimately placed second in the "Social Justice" category. She said she was shocked when she got the phone call.
“My face lit up cause it was first scholarship I’ve received this year for college”
Join us TOMORROW to honor the Youth Awards recipients from #Colorado, #Idaho, #Kansas, #Montana, #Nebraska, #NorthDakota, #Oregon, #SouthDakota, #Utah, #Washington, & @Wyoming.
— Hispanic Heritage Foundation (@HHFoundation) March 1, 2021
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In the award's program (p. 26), Rodriguez's passion for equity is highlighted, stating "she feels firmly that everyone should be appreciated for who they are and who they choose to be". She works on the YWCA Junior board, helping women who face abuse. Rodrigues has used her time during the pandemic to read to children over Zoom and form pen-pal relationships with those in nursing homes.
While Rodriguez has dreams of ultimately becoming an immigration lawyer, she really hopes she's already leaving in impact on the Pueblo community.
“I’m trying to help people understand that, no matter where you come from you can do so much and, especially here in Pueblo, we may seem like a small town who doesn’t have much or doesn’t do much, but we actually have so many great kids in our schools.”
Rodriguez intends on continuing her education in Denver next year, but says her dream college would be the University of Southern California.
The awards ceremony will virtually honor eight other students from throughout Colorado tonight at 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm (MST).
