Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month

Far Rockaway resident and Five Towns Community Center youth advocacy counselor and youth employment coordinator Veronica Ortiz was among the eight people the Town of Hempstead recognized for their contributions to the local Hispanic community at National Hispanic Heritage Month ceremony at town hall on Oct. 4.

Hispanic Heritage Month is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. It is a celebration that began with President Lyndon Johnson’s week-long recognition in 1968 that President Ronald Reagan extended to a 30-day period 20 years later. Sept. 15 marks the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. 

Ortiz has worked at the community center for eight years conducting individual counseling, running small groups in the Lawrence school district, facilitating a teen center and helping those between the ages of 14 and 20 to get a job. 

She found out that she would receive a Hispanic Heritage Award in mid-August and recalled her feelings of surprise: “I don’t really think of myself as someone that’s visible like that. I tend to focus more on the work that I do with the kids than anything else.” 

Though well respected in her community and well educated, Ortiz has a bachelor’s in history City College of New York, a master’s in education and school counseling from Hofstra University and a professional certificate from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College. Ortiz greatly appreciated being in the company of the other honorees. “In a way, I felt like a freshman with upperclassman,” she said. 

The other seven honorees at the National Hispanic Heritage Month ceremony included:

Miguel Bermudez, Karina Bruno, Rita Cavanagh, Reverend Derek Garcia, Olga Moreno-Hernandez, Gloria Del Carmen Reyes Oliver and Yndiana Seltzer.

She is also a certified school counselor for kindergarten through 12th grade and works with the Lawrence School District often. Ortiz often works with students and families that are new to the U.S. In addition to leadership training that she runs, she said: “I want to empower and encourage these youngsters to fully engage in the educational process as I see education as a way to further excel in life … regardless of the obstacles they will encounter.” One of those obstacles is the students not knowing English, she said.

The inspiration behind Ortiz’s work within the Hispanic community comes from her mother who moved to the U.S. from El Salvador and overcame several obstacles to have a better life.

Lorenzo Sistrunk, executive director of the Five Towns Community Center, was not surprised when he found out Ortiz would be receive the award. “She has been very instrumental in everything we do in youth development,” he said, of the Community Center’s largest program that has up to 800 kids per year. “When we have people coming from other countries, we have to find a way to make sure that they have their own voice.” 

Owner and publisher of Noticia, a Spanish language newspaper, Silvana Diaz received Hempstead Town’s Hispanic Heritage Award in 2014 and gave the keynote address at the ceremony this year.

The IKARUS Gallery Cultural Program displayed an art exhibit “Uniting Nations for a Culture of Peace”  in the town hall lobby during the ceremony. It included local Latino artists’ original paintings, drawings and photography. 

“As the diversity of our residents continues to expand, it is important to recognize their accomplishments and applaud them as they enhance and enjoy the quality of life our town offers,” Santino said.