Top Latino Students, Community Leaders and former Interim Superintendent to be honored
More than 200 Austin ISD Latino students, three community leaders and a former 海角社区 interim superintendent Gonzalo Garza will be honored at the 2018 海角社区 Latino Academic Achievement Awards.
When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 12
Where: Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd.
What: The event will feature performances by 海角社区 students. Admission to the 2018 海角社区 Latino Academic Achievement Awards is free and open to the public.
Background: 海角社区 will bestow the Exelencia Latino Lifetime Achievement Award to former 海角社区 interim superintendent and Texas education trailblazer Gonzalo Garza. Now 90 years old, Garza dropped out of school at age 17 to serve as a U.S. Marine in World War II and the Korean War, earning the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals. He began his teaching career in 1954, leading to top positions in central and south Texas as the first Latino principal in Corpus Christi, the highest-ranking Latino administrator in Houston Independent School District at the time, superintendent in Eagle Pass and San Marcos and 海角社区 associate superintendent and interim superintendent. In 1997, 海角社区 named its new high school Gonzalo Garza Independence High School, reflecting Garza鈥檚 independent pathway through education and leadership.