By San Diego County Office of Education
Nearly 50 middle and high school students in the migrant ed program convened in March at the North County Regional Education Center to participate in the Region 9 Migrant Education speech contest, sponsored by MiraCosta College. Weeks of preparation would come down to three speeches, one prepared and two extemporaneous.
Members from the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE)’s Migrant Ed team also made the event special for students and families. And a critical part to the success of the contest were volunteer judges. Four SDCOE employees and volunteers from community partners Universidad Popular, Vista Community Clinic, TrueCare, and San Diego PACE spent the day listening to student speeches and choosing who would represent Region 9 in the state tournament in May.
“Our students always do such an impressive job, and it is so rewarding to see them shine and speak from the heart,” said Elisa Ayala, senior director of migrant education. “We are also so thankful for our volunteers and coaches, who came out on their own time on a Saturday morning to take part in a critical role for this part of the program.”
This was Migrant Education Teacher Samantha Istvanyi’s first year coordinating program. She said it was an “amazing process that gives our students a chance to compete where they might not get to in other places. It gives them a chance to be on stage and share their views on some heavy topics.” She added, “The students are often not seen; this gives them an opportunity to speak in their primary language, gives them a voice.”
In addition to Migrant Ed staff, speech coaches Sergio Cruz Egoavil from Vista and Cesar Rodriguez from Fallbrook will be chaperoning and supporting the students as they compete on May 5.
The 12 student speaker winners are:
- Alexandra Bernardino Graciano, Escondido Union
- Carmen Del Rosario Diego Jose, Escondido Union High
- Adalinda Padilla, Fallbrook Union High
- Juliana Maldonado Flores, Fallbrook Union High
- Julio Cesar Tovar Romero, Fallbrook Union High
- Adriel Bibiano, San Marcos Unified
- Lisbeth Juarez Juan, San Marcos Unified
- Ana Juan Pedro, Vallecitos
- Fernanda Gomez, Vista Unified
- Jessie Morales, Vista Unified
- Kevin Flores, Vista Unified
- Kimberly Morales, Vista Unified
