Allan Hancock College Vice President to Receive Latino Legacy Award

Santa Maria is preparing to honor recipients of the first ever Latino Legacy Awards.

Organizers of the Latino Legacy Awards say its all about paying tribute to unsung heroes in the community and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.

“Obviously I’m overwhelmed with excitement”, says Allan Hancock College Vice President for Student Services Nohemy Ornelas who is among ten local men and women of all ages receiving the first-ever Latino Legacy Awards.

“There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that we don’t see”, Ornelas says about her job, “but a lot of it begins with I’m a former student of Allan Hancock College, I think that I can relate and understand what students are walking through on a daily basis and so I think that’s helped me provide guidance and direction to develop programs that are really going to support and promote student success on our campus.”

“We saw that there were folks in the community advocating being a voice for people who didn’t have a voice”, says Patricia Solorio who is Chairperson of the Latino Legacy Awards Selection Committee, “we really wanted to focus light on just our everyday leader, people in the community that are making this community better.”

As head of local non-profit group Central Coast Future Leaders, Solorio says the Latino Legacy Awards shift focus and attention to the people doing positive things in Santa Maria and away from negative things that have made recent headlines.

“These are actually folks that are doing things to address the violence by making sure we have opportunities for young people”, Solorio says, “anybody can be a leader and this serves not only to honor those folks who are being leaders but to inspire others to take those roles as well.”

“I really just hope I can be a role model for other people around my community”, Nohemy Ornelas says, “show people that it is possible to start here and go anywhere and come back in a bigger capacity to serve the community.”

The Latino Legacy Awards ceremony will take place Sunday, March 20 at 11:00am at the Santa Maria Radisson Hotel.

Advance ticket purchase is recommended, tickets are available online at www.latinolegacyawards.org.

For more information about the 2016 Latino Legacy Awards visit www.latinolegacyawards.org or call the Central Coast Future Leaders at (805) 925-1010.

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Allan Hancock College Associate Superintendent/Vice President, Student Services Nohemy Ornelas will receive a first-of-its-kind award in recognition of her commitment to student success.

Ornelas has been nominated to receive the 2016 Latino Legacy Award for making a difference in the Santa Maria community.

“I am truly honored and humbled by the award,” said Ornelas. “I really see this recognition as a testament to the dedicated faculty and staff at Hancock, and to the college as a whole.”

A group of community members created the Latino Legacy Awards to celebrate and promote the hard work and dedication that goes on in the Santa Maria Valley.

A nine-member committee selected 10 honorees who cover a wide spectrum that includes public safety, education, business and more.

“We started these awards because we wanted to recognize different sources of leadership in the community,” said Patricia Solorio, chairperson of the Latino Legacy Awards committee. “Nohemy and our other honorees go above and beyond the call of duty every day.”

Ornelas oversees various support services, programs and departments, as well as manages state and federal grants.

She spearheaded the Bridges to Success program to enhance student success among incoming freshmen from area high schools.

“Nohemy works tirelessly to create opportunities for our community,” said Allan Hancock College Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “She restored our outreach and partnership efforts with every high school in our district. Nohemy is leading Hancock’s effort to change the odds for northern Santa Barbara County.”

Ornelas has a long history with the college.

She first attended while in high school as part of the college’s dual enrollment program.

She graduated from Hancock and transferred to University of California, Santa Barbara where she earned a bachelor’s degree in law and society. Later, she received a master’s in education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Ornelas said she discovered her passion for working in education early in her career when she was a financial aid specialist and counseling assistant at Hancock.

Years later, the passion remains.

“I love my job,” added Ornelas. “By advocating for students and creating pathways for them to succeed, I want to make a difference, and I hope that I am.”

Ornelas and the nine other recipients will be honored during an awards banquet Sunday, March 20, at the Radisson Hotel Santa Maria. The event begins at 11 a.m.

Tickets are still available online at www.latinolegacyawards.org.

“The Latino Legacy Awards are about what you have done and what you are yet to do,” said Allan Hancock College Trustee Hilda Zacaras. “Nohemy, through her personal and professional accomplishments, represents that legacy. She has made a significant impact for students since her appointment as vice president at Hancock, and I look forward to her future successes.”

All proceeds will benefit Central Coast Future Leaders, a youth-led organization in Santa Maria that supports the development of youth and families. The organization promotes leadership, education, community service and personal development.

For more information about the 2016 Latino Legacy Awards, visit www.latinolegacyawards.org or call the Central Coast Future Leaders at (805) 925-1010.