Guest speaker, Juan Ortiz, a successful businessman, husband, and father, made his message clear as he spoke at the Hispanic Heritage Assembly on Sept. 25. “If you have a dream, a mentor, goals, and a plan, you will succeed in life,” Ortiz expressed.

Beginning Sept. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when Hispanics celebrate the independence of various Latin American countries and their culture as a whole.

Making it a priority to raise awareness of this celebratory month, Metea Valley organized a Hispanic Heritage Assembly, the first in school history. This assembly was put into place to educate and inspire the student body through the moving story of Juan Ortiz.

“I love to show Juan Ortiz’s story in my newscasts, it’s important to the month. Not only does it celebrate Hispanic culture as a whole, but it also showcases the richness of the culture in society,” News Anchor/Reporter at Univision Network Enrique Rodríguez explained.

Ortiz explained the hardships he experienced, and overcame, which led him to begin speaking to half-a-million people in 25 different countries about how he believes society needs to change their outlook and treatment toward those considered ‘different’ in terms of race, appearance, income, etc.

Coming from a family whose father-figure was a gangster and drug dealer, Ortiz, his siblings, and mother were forced to move around a lot. Finally settling in West Chicago, Ortiz began school. On his first day, he recalled sitting on the bus with his mother when young caucasian students boarded. Ortiz explained that the students looked at him with faces of disgust and proceeded to throw objects at him and his mother.

“This was the first time I had experienced this form of rejection in my life,” Ortiz reflected.

Despite the negativity Ortiz experienced as a result of racial discrimination, he was determined to focus on his education and make the most of his life.

“There are statistics that state the sons of men who are drug dealers, thieves, or prisoners will end up the same, or die before they reach the age of 18. I am standing here today, a successful business man with a wonderful family. I overcame those statistics,” Ortiz said.

As Ortiz spoke, his outlook on life translated into a call-to-action for the young students at Metea Valley.

“We need young people who ‘get it’. We need those who realize that teaching and education is more important than entertainment. We need those who understand that you cannot win in life without being willing to change,” Ortiz added.

At the end of his presentation, Ortiz asked the audience to envision their ‘ideal balcony’, and those whom they wished to be there with them.

“Now that you have your ‘ideal balcony’ and the people you’d have there with you, think about whose balcony you’d be on. Are you encouraging people? You can really change lives that way,” Ortiz said.

By Emily Rodriguez