2026 Award Honorees:

 

Exemplary Community Service

For long-standing commitment to service to others, sacrifice, helping the most needy, determination, non-violence, acceptance of all people, respect for life and the environment, celebrating community, knowledge, and innovation.

Maria Reyes

Community organizer and community health education manager for La Clinica de la Raza

Reyes is recognized for her long-standing commitment to service to others, sacrifice, helping the most needy, determination, non-violence, acceptance of all people, respect for life and the environment, celebrating community, knowledge, and innovation.

Reyes migrated from León, Guanajuato, Mexico with her parents when she was 11 years old. She attended Mt. Diablo High School in Concord, transferred from Diablo Valley College to UC Davis while working as Community Youth Organizer where she completed a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Shortly after graduating she joined La Clinica as Community Health Educator. Reyes graduated from San Jose State University with a master’s degree in public health with emphasis in health education.

She has worked at La Clinica for more than 20 years, the last 17 as Community Health Education Manager, implementing and supervising community health education initiatives and outreach efforts that involve community health educators and volunteer health promoters. Projects include, health care coverage outreach and enrollment assistance, mental health stigma reduction, patient navigation, air quality advocacy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she collaborated with the mobile team and various partners on the Covid-19 vaccination campaign for underserved populations.

Reyes is committed to serving underserved populations through health education prevention strategies aimed at promoting community engagement and participation, to build patient and community capacity and to promote health care and resource access to improve the quality of life of the people La Clinica and the Community Health Education department serves.

East County Educator Award

For demonstrating a commitment to student success and equity, particularly for students of color and those from low-income families.

Elizabeth Cruz Gonzalez

Liberty High School English teacher

Gonzalez is recognized for demonstrating a commitment to student success and equity, particularly for students of color and those from low-income families.

She is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, and has served her Brentwood community in and out of the classroom for 17 years as an English teacher. An alumnus of the Liberty Union High School District, she has spent the past four years at her alma mater, Liberty High School, teaching and advocating for multilingual students as the lead teacher in the English Language Development Program. Her work has led to stronger support for students and their families, professional development for teachers, scholarship opportunities for underserved students, and community engagement with partners like Hijas del Campo and the Brentwood Police Activities League.

Outside the classroom, Gonzalez supports students as the Latinos Unidos Club Advisor, the Grupo L Club Advisor and through her work as the Excel teacher for the English Language/Newcomers Program. She also serves in the critical capacity of Home & Hospital Teacher. In this role, she assists students who are out of school for medical reasons.

East County Educator Award

For demonstrating a commitment to student success and equity, particularly for students of color and those from low-income families.

Italo Rossi

Ed.D., Antioch High School Biology/Human Anatomy/Physiology teacher

Rossi mission as an educator is to motivate all students to continue their education and find their calling as for what they would like to follow as a possible career.  He is a lifelong learner who strives to become better each year and stay connected to new research and methods best teaching practices.

Rossi migrated to the United States from Lima, Peru when he was in fourth grade. He attended schools in the Antioch Unified School District for elementary, middle and high school, graduating with the Class of 1997. He went on to attend Diablo Valley College, transferred to California State University, East Bay, where he earned a bachelor of science degree, in pre-med biological science.

Rossi found his calling in education after volunteering at schools across the community during his undergraduate studies. He began teaching the middle school level first, then moved on to the high school level.  He has taught for 23 years all at Antioch Unified School District.   

 

La Fuerza del Pueblo Spirit Award

For emerging/student leader(s) who embodies the spirit of the movement, and who within the past year, made a significant impact on the local community in the areas of advocacy and social justice.

Natalia Longoria

Los Medanos College student and president of LMC Puente Club, member of the EOPS program and Puente Program

Longoria is recognized as an emerging leader as she embodies the spirit of the farmworkers’ movement and for the significant impact she has made on the local community in the areas of advocacy and social justice.

Longoria is the eldest daughter in a Mexican family, and a third-year LMC student. She values the power of student voices in order to keep planting seeds of awareness, justice, and equality. She has served as a Child Study Center intern. Outside of her studies, Longoria has worked with Hijas Del Campo, finding important moments of joy to empower the community. 

She is an Early Childhood Education major with plans to transfer to San Jose State University in Fall 2026. 

“Some things I am proud about are doing plenty of outreach and helping to recruit male peers because I understand the need to increase the number of male Puentistas, along with increasing their involvement and enthusiasm,” she said. “I have achieved one of my top goals, which is embracing the value of familia in our community. Once a Puentista, always a Puentista.”

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Juan Rubio

Antioch High School sophomore

Rubio is recognized as an emerging leader for his efforts that embody the spirit of the farmworkers’ movement and for the significant impact he has made on the local community in the areas of advocacy and social justice.

Rubio has followed his passion and calling through volunteering and starting the Youthful Hearts United Club as a freshman. 

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Salvador Velazquez

LMC Associated Students president and official delegate from Los Medanos College to the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

Velazquez is recognized as an emerging leader for his exemplary service in representing LMC students on campus and at the state and federal level. Velazquez recently represented LMC in Washington, D.C., advocating for affordable, high-quality education, and championing support for students who need assistance with basic needs, including food, clothing and hygiene supplies. His efforts embody the spirit of the farmworkers’ movement and have made a meaningful difference for the LMC campus community.

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