Log in

Neighbors

Hispanic Heritage Foundation honors Gilbert student for engineering achievement

Posted 12/31/69

A Gilbert student was honored for his accomplishments in engineering Feb. 9 when the Hispanic Heritage Foundation announced the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards recipients for the Yellow region, which …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor
Neighbors

Hispanic Heritage Foundation honors Gilbert student for engineering achievement

Posted

A Gilbert student was honored for his accomplishments in engineering Feb. 9 when the Hispanic Heritage Foundation announced the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards recipients for the Yellow region, which includes Arizona and New Mexico.  

Arturo Pacheco of Gilbert Classical Academy won a silver medal in engineering and was among 30 local high school seniors who were honored for their leadership in the classroom and community during a virtual ceremony. 

Pacheco joins fellow Gilbert Classical Academy student Julia Smith-Plata, who won the gold medal in sports and fitness. 

Pacheco has always been fascinated by mathematics. In particular, he has been amazed by its real-life applications, such as the building of the pyramids in Giza or the planning of the Apollo 11 mission.  

Born to an engineer father, Pacheco got a glimpse of applied mathematics and physics from an early age, and his interest gradually gravitated toward the engineering field. 
 
In seventh grade, Pacheco participated in his first International Science and Engineering Fair, and this first encounter with STEM effectively solidified his interest in mathematics and showed him the way forward. Determined to become a mechanical engineer, Pacheco has participated in the fair every year since, using it as an outlet to try out his ideas. 
 
Academically, Pacheco has always been among the top of his class and has been recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction. He has always received high regard from his teachers and peers. 
 
Pacheco took Latin classes and soon joined the Latin club at his school. Before long, he became the president of the Gilbert Classical Academy Latin club. He also served as the president of his school's Spanish club. He exemplifies the type of understated leadership that comes from working well with others and leading by example. 
 
One of his proudest engineering moments was when he built a solar-powered fountain for his school as part of an Arizona-based university program called Engineering Projects in Community Service.  

Under this program, he and his team were tasked with creating a project that would promote learning at their school.  

After a few meetings with one of his project partners, they settled on constructing a solar-powered fountain in the school's outdoor study area. This would give the area a makeover and create a conducive environment for studying.  

Once this was decided, the team immediately started the planning phase of the project. The solar fountain required a lot of planning and engineering work.  

The members gathered their materials, sketched the outcome, and worked on planning, budgeting, and refining the design. By the end of the school year, the fountain was up and running every day, powered by the sun, and connected to the irrigation system without the need for daily maintenance.  

This may not have been his most complex engineering project, but it was the most rewarding because it was created with the intention of improving and providing a more aesthetic setting for his school community. 
 
Community service is part of Pacheco’s values. He has always helped when he could and participated in many volunteering activities to give back.  

Since he believes in the impact education can have on people's lives, one of the ways he serves is through his school's tutoring program.  

As a sophomore and junior, he volunteered as an assistant coach for his school's cross country and track teams.  

Pacheco has also performed music at senior centers with Aerovate AZ's Light of Music charity program. 
 
With his perfect GPA, passion, and demonstrated engineering experience, Pacheco plans to continue his STEM studies by majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Applied Mathematics at Arizona State University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or the University of California, Berkeley. 

Other supporters of the Youth Awards include the American Federation of Teachers, Capital Wire, Crowell & Moring, Es Tiempo, Freddie Mac, Mastercard, Teach for America, and Wells Fargo. 

Actor and singer, Michael Cimino, star of Hulu’s “Love, Victor,” hosted the virtual ceremony in which three students per category were honored with gold, silver, and bronze medallions.  

“We are thrilled to honor yet another outstanding class of Youth Awardees who will carry on the tradition of leadership, academic excellence and social impact of past recipients,” said Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of HHF. “There is no shortage of Latino talent across the United States, and we are grateful to our dedicated sponsors who understand the importance of investing in the youngest and most dynamic segment of our population. We’re in good hands as a community and as a country with these outstanding young leaders going forward.” 

Thousands of high school students, from all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, apply annually to the Youth Awards, which is the main feeder to Latinos On Fast Track Leadership Institute, or LLI, an active institution focused on leadership, workforce, community, culture, and social justice led in partnership by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Trinity University.  

The Youth Awardees and the applicants will also be funneled into the LOFT Network with access to mentors, resources, networking, workshops, symposia, summits, Charlas, and internships and full-time positions with Fortune 500 companies.