Congratulations to our 2020 Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest Winners!

We would like to give a big congratulations to our Hispanic Heritage Month scholarship essay contest winners. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are proud to announce three exceptional students that recently were awarded a 4-Year Florida College Plan Scholarship!

Each student was tasked with writing an essay that highlights the theme, “Celebrating Untold Stories and Contributions of Hispanic Americans in Florida.”

We are thrilled to be a part of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, alongside the Governor and First Lady DeSantis. The Florida Prepaid College Foundation has been a sponsor of the student contest for the past 19 years.

Essay Contest Winners:

Elementary School Winner: Lucille Procaccino, Shorecrest Preparatory School, Pinellas County

Lucille detailed what an inspirational influence her tennis coach, Jorge, has been in her life. Originally from Bolivia, Jorge is a kind and patient person who helps so many in their community whether it is on or off the tennis court.

Middle School Winner: Jackson Breeden, Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, Brevard County

Jackson’s essay, titled “Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu Lit the Way”, highlights how Florida’s first female Hispanic American member of the U.S. Coast Guard and first female St. Augustine lightkeeper paved the way in a position typically not held by women at that point in history.

High School Winner: Sophie Penafiel, TERRA Environmental Research Institute, Miami-Dade County

Sophie featured Operation Pedro Pan, the mass exodus of over 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban minors to the United States in the early 1960s. Her essay focused on Juan F. Pedro who immigrated to the U.S. through Operation Pedro Pan and is now a business owner in Miami.

To read more from First Lady DeSantis click here.