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The Líderes de Hoy essay contest was an opportunity for young Hispanic leaders to share their perspective on what it means to be a leader in their community. Essays answered the question: As a young leader, how have you been a catalyst for positive change and contributed to inspiring your community?

Esteban Hufstedler

Esteban Hufstedler is also known as Esteban Antonio Martin Guadalupe Luna Lemus Hufstedler. He values his long list of names since six of them honor family members. His seventh name is for the Patron Saint of Mexico because Esteban was born on December 12, the day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Consequently, Esteban’s Mexican heritage is very important to him. He is very close to his family and from an early age helped his grandparents in their tienda. He grew up volunteering in his neighborhood, collecting food, translating (Spanish/English), and helping the elderly.

Esteban has had a deep love of books since he learned to read at the very early age of three. His family taught him that education was the key to success. Esteban attended El Modena High School in Santa Ana, California where he excelled and was very active in leadership and service activities. He was chosen to participate in a national Native American and Hispanic youth leadership conference and won the Science Olympiad sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control.

Esteban is proud of his community service work with the GREAT School Readiness Center Program. He began working with the “First Five Readiness Program” helping provide preschool programs for Spanish-speaking communities. Esteban conceived of the perpetual book drive, organizing volunteers from his high school and local college. To date, they have collected 2,500 books for the GREAT School Readiness Center, serving 200 families. Esteban has learned that through his effort, children in the Center “will be more likely to succeed, having had an early introduction to the joys of learning.”

Esteban believes that his bilingual and Latino background has given him the advantage of understanding and caring for the children and parents he serves: “I hope I am a role model for the children and parents at the Center – one [who helps] them realize the wonderful opportunities open to them.”

Now, as a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Esteban is considering majoring in biochemistry. He plans on pursuing a doctorate and becoming a scientist. He recently joined the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and continues to collect books for the Preschool Readiness Program. Esteban realizes how fortunate he is to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees, and that he has a responsibility to be a community leader. The words of César Chávez inspire him, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and our own.”


Magdalena Rodriguez

Even as a little girl, Magdalena “Magge” Rodriguez was inspired by César Chávez. Magge emphasizes the conviction of youth today: “Young people have a responsibility to carry on the work of our predecessors and to try to create a better tomorrow, but I know that young people must be the leaders of today in our communities.”

As a sixth grader, Magge joined a grassroots organization called the Watsonville Brown Berets, which focuses on improving conditions in local schools, ending gang and domestic violence, encouraging more students to pursue higher education, creating good paying jobs, and encouraging more citizens to engage in civic participation.

In seventh grade, 12-year-old Magge went to Sacramento, California to protest against the California High School Exit Exam. Magge was chosen to speak at a press conference to talk about the impact of the exams on rural students. The State Board of Education postponed implementing the exams for two years following the protest by Magge and other students. That same year, Magge supported a landmark lawsuit against the state of California. Williams v. the State of California fought for equal educational opportunities for all students, especially in the state’s poorest schools. Magge filed a legal declaration on behalf of her school, Watsonville High, which was one of 46 schools in the lawsuit. Magge’s statement described how she had to wear gloves in class to keep warm, how they had to share old textbooks, and how she had to ask for paper towels from her principal to wash her hands in the restrooms. In 2004, after four years, the State of California ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the 100 students named as plaintiffs, Magge, and the hundreds of others who submitted statements and depositions to the court. Magge is proud of her work because she is helping the next generation of Latino students, including her four-year-old brother.

Maggie is now a junior at Watsonville High School in Watsonville, California. Recently, Magge realized that in her predominately Hispanic community no schools were named after a Latino leader. Magge helped gather more than 4, 000 signatures and gain the support of local leaders and businesses. Magge’s work did not result in renaming the schools in 2002. However, the Hispanic community realized the need to elect school board candidates who supported their efforts. The following year, with the help of newly elected members, the school board approved the renaming of two schools, one after César Chávez. The great victory taught Magge to never give up or “si, se puede.”

After Magge graduates, she would like to attend Harvard University and continue on to study law.

To read about all of the essay winners go to http://lideres.nclr.org/opportunities/2006_essay_contest_/2005_essay_contest_winners/