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WHAT: Delaware Technical Community College’s Stanton and Wilmington campuses will honor educator and community advocate Samanta Lopez for her commitment to the Hispanic community and culture in northern Delaware at its 10h Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Honoree Celebration. WHEN: Tuesday, October 8, 2019, noon. Honoree ceremony begins at noon, followed by a light sampling of Hispanic cuisine. WHERE: George Campus Conference Center, Delaware Tech’s Wilmington Campus: 300 North Orange Street, Wilmington DE 19801 WHO: Samanta Lopez is a transformational leader who has been invested in the Delaware community for more than a decade. Her professional trajectory in education began teaching English as a second language to community members. She served as the director of a grant-based mentoring program for ASPIRA of Delaware, which allowed her to reach at-risk youth. She helped create a pathway of possibilities that promoted education and leadership through mentoring and partnership with business leaders. As a result, 87% of the students in her program attended higher education. She is a Lead for Delaware recipient, and is currently awaiting School Leadership Certification to pledge that one day, all kids in Delaware will attend excellent schools. Ms. Lopez is a 2018 Leadership Delaware Fellow cultivating knowledge, vision, integrity, and networks to significantly impact and transform Delaware communities. She currently sits on the board of Fresh Start Scholarship, an organization that has provided more than 200 women the opportunity to attend college. Furthermore, in 2009, Ms. Lopez received the Genevieve Gore Young Leadership Award for her demonstrated commitment to social justice and leadership in the Latino and broader Delaware communities. Her cultural background, passion, and experiences in the educational system in urban contexts have motivated her to explore pedagogical approaches that counteract deficit models and provide every student with a voice and a sense of agency towards their own learning and leadership. Aside from serving as a change agent in Delaware, Ms. Lopez loves to teach. She is a teacher at Howard High School, where she creates a culture of linguistic importance and ensures that English learners are supported, empowered, and encouraged to reach a higher level of English proficiency and confidence. In addition, as an adjunct instructor at the University of Delaware’s School of Education, Ms. Lopez has engaged future teachers on how to implement diversity initiatives in the classroom, and bridge sociocultural incompatibilities to build a stronger and unified Delaware. Ms. Lopez’s overall goal is to help the Latino community create and sustain a positive footprint in Delaware and beyond.