OCTECHS valedictorian Ashley Manquero added another award Thursday with the presentation of the Student Hero Award in the board room of the Ector County ISD administration building.
Manquero, who graduated from OCTECHS in May, was one of 15 students to receive the award from the State Board of Education.
Each of the 15 elected State Board representatives selects one student from their region to receive the honor, a news release said. The District 1 representative, Georgina Perez from El Paso, selected Manquero. Her name was read as part of a resolution at the SBOE meeting in Austin on June 17.
ECISD Superintendent Scott Muri said the awards identify students that go above and beyond the call of duty to be recognized for the work that they’ve done, giving back to their communities and making a difference in the lives of students, families and the entire community.
Chief Communications Officer Mike Adkins said Manquero is a hard working student who thinks of others’ needs and takes the initiative to make things happen.
“Ashley earned this recognition for her many community outreach efforts, not only here in Odessa, but also in her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her projects ranged from helping the homeless with hygiene packages to advocating for women in abusive relationships through volunteer work at the Crisis Center,” Adkins said.
Other examples include organizing a drive to collect feminine products for low-income families, women in shelters and fellow students, visiting children in the hospital dressed as a superhero, or delivering pizza to those kids to brighten their day.
“These are places adults often shy away from, but not Ashley. She is continually looking for ways to make the community better and she tackles problems head on. I would like to add that school district leaders and her campus leaders feel this title is very, very appropriately named Student Hero and she is. We’re proud to join the State Board of Education and District 1 representative Georgina Perez in recognizing Ashley with this award,” Adkins said.
Muri said Perez sent her regards Thursday.
“… In fact, she and I talked about you. She was very impressed with your story and the work that you’ve done, and expressed that to me …,” Muri added.
Manquero said she wasn’t expecting the award because they sent it in in March and kind of forgot about it.
She added that she didn’t realize what an honor it was to receive the award.
“… I’m really honored and I’m excited because maybe it helps others to be inspired to do this,” Manquero said.
She added that giving back is something that was expected of her and her five siblings.
“My mom and dad specifically … they’re always telling us help out if you can. They set the example …,” Manquero said.
She added that her mom would always try to donate when she could to help others and that stuck with Manquero.
When you recognize problems, she said, it’s good to do something about it.
“That way, you feel like you’re contributing,” she said.
It might be intimidating or scary at first to volunteer, but Manquero said it gets easier.
Manquero will be attending Bowdoin College in Maine on a full scholarship.
She added that she plans to study psychology, but she’s going to decide what route to take.
Manquero hopes to continue the projects she was doing here in Maine and maybe take on some other issues.
