Suffolk Reporter

Twenty-seven students from William Floyd High School were recognized for their academic achievements at the 11th annual Town of Brookhaven Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. These students maintained a grade point average of 95 or higher and were part of a group of 160 high school students from 15 districts across Brookhaven.

The honored students included Nia Alicea, Geovanni Alvarez-Lopez, Glendy Ayavaca, Emilio Balbuena, Brooklyn Barnes, Stephanie Bernales Velez, Joseph Cabrera, Milton Calderon-Suriel, Lynette Cardona, Daniela Chacon, Briant Fuentes, Gabriela Galan, Lily Gomez-Rodriguez, Ana Guerra Vasconez, Carlos Hernandez Parias Jr., Aviana Higueros, Victoria Juarez, Ivory Lezama Santana, Abigail Lizzol, Zariel Macchia, Jakeline Molina Sandoval, Michael Pedra, Nicole Peralta Maza, Axel Pesantez-Medina, Kevin Quiroga Nugura, Alan Remache Sinchi and Tatyana Thawe.

The event also featured cultural performances and art exhibits. Calvin Arancibia was one of the keynote speakers honored. A former student-musician and alumnus of William Floyd High School in 2016 who served in the United States Marine Corps is now studying music education and Japanese at Ball State University in Indiana.

"The Brookhaven Town Hispanic Advisory Board was established in 2013 to help improve cultural understanding between the Hispanic community," states the press release. The board's mission is to address issues important to the Hispanic community and provide recommendations on proposed legislation to the Brookhaven Town Board.