The National Football League and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation  will honor, for the second year in a row, ten high school student-athletes as part of the NFL’s Super Bowl LVII week celebration at the Play Football Field inside the Super Bowl Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center on Tuesday, February 7th . 

Honorees will be flown in from across the United States, including Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

This year, Nationwide joins the NFL and HHF in hosting the Sports & Fitness category ceremony of the annual Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards program.

Forming an important part of the league’s ongoing “Por La Cultura” campaign, which highlights Latino players, coaches and staff, celebrates Latino excellence and tells authentic stories of the community, the second-year event will honor all ten finalists with one being named the 2023 national winner.

Latino celebrities, athletes and local leaders are expected to attend in celebration of the Youth Awardees.

“We are thrilled to recognize the impact of these outstanding young leaders, who take charge not only in the classroom and on the field, but also in our local communities,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF. “We are grateful for our long-standing collaboration with the NFL and celebrate our continued partnership with Nationwide, as we all work together to highlight the student-athletes at Super Bowl LVII.”

"The NFL is committed to supporting and celebrating the next generation of Latino youth, and this year’s award recipients exemplify what the ‘Por La Cultura’ campaign is all about: the vibrancy, commonalities and differences that comprise our amazing fanbase,” said Marissa Solis, NFL Senior VP/Global Brand & Consumer Marketing. 

“Promoting scholarship and a path to higher education for students of diverse backgrounds has long been important to Nationwide,” said Lu Yarbrough III, Associate Vice President of Enterprise Diverse and Cause Marketing at Nationwide. “As a partner of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and presenting sponsor of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, it is very fitting for Nationwide to help honor these standout student-athletes who are also game changers in their communities.”

The ten Youth Awards Sports & Fitness category recipients include (click here for full bios):

Alexander García-Silver                  - Coos Bay, OR

Christopher Méndez Ulloa               - Durham, NC

Dylan Hooshi                                     - Old Westbury, NY

Isabella Lugo                                     - Bristow, VA

Jagger Summa                                  - Waco, TX

Julia Smith-Plata                              - Gilbert, AZ

Lidia Hernández                               - Los Angeles, CA

Lily Witte                                           - Dexter, MI

Lucas Mous                                       - Weston, FL

Ramón Rosado                                  - Guaynabo, PR

The NFL and its 32 clubs joined HHF’s effort to spread the word and encourage local nominations for the Youth Awards earlier this season, along with national advertising that helped drive awareness of this opportunity. The student-athletes will receive a grant from the NFL and HHF to help fund their education or to support an idea or project in the health and fitness space.

The NFL’s Sports & Fitness Youth Awards category recognizes students who are involved in athletics, a fitness activity or plan to pursue a career in sports or fitness. The students who applied demonstrated their commitment to academic excellence, as well as leadership, positive sportsmanship, and willingness to help their peers on and off the field.