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On Friday, April 3, Aspira of Illinois celebrated the success, hard work and commitment of its staff and students at the Grand Ballroom of the Navy Pier. The gala event marked four decades of groundbreaking educational and youth development services mainly directed at Chicago’s Puerto Rican and Latina/o community. The gala’s highlights included: a presentation of over $10,000 in scholarship to students; presentation of a $1.6 million check from Wal-Mart for Aspira’s national scholarship fund; and special acknowledgments of distinguished Aspirantes, prominent leaders in the area of business, community, government, culture and education. Aspira of Illinois’ most prestigious award – “The Pitirre Award” – which is presented every decade to a prominent leader of the community that exemplifies Aspira’s mission and its continuous commitment to educational advancement was given to State Senator Iris Martinez. Martinez received the award by calling on the Puerto Rican and Latina/o community to continue the fight for quality education for our community’s youth. Please follow and like us:
