Florida.....Miami.....South Beach.......all sounds very good coming from New Jersey. The Tour placed us in north Miami, northwest of popular South Beach. It was a hot and steamy evening when I arrived at Miami
Norland Senior High School on Wednesday late afternoon on May 19th. I was there for a very special young lady, Jennifer Pacheco, who was receiving the MaxPreps Citizen Athlete Award presented by National Guard. As soon as I arrived I was greeted by Carla Curry, Jennifer’s basketball coach and the one responsible for nominating Jennifer into the national contest. Coach Curry had nothing but praise for Jennifer and expressed how Jennifer will be a success story in life. It should noted that Coach Curry also received the Coach of the Year award for all her tireless efforts she puts into coaching and making sure her players move on to bigger and better things.
Back to Jennifer...her accomplishments include creating her own foundation, Just Justify Peace, which helps Nicaraguan children. She also has a 4.5 GPA despite all of her extracurricular activities, and she is a true athlete, competing in volleyball, basketball, softball, and track.
We greeted all the parents and students attending the evening ceremony in front of the auditorium with fun giveaways from the Florida National Guard. While we were waiting for the ceremony to start the Jazz Band played some tunes. The ceremony commenced with the Color Guard and the pledge of allegiance. After a few awards to other outstanding students, the emcee welcomed up Billy Barnette of MaxPreps to speak about the MaxPreps Citizen Athlete program. He introduced Sergeant First Class Richard Pinero of the Florida National Guard to speak about Jennifer’s qualifications. SFC Pinero said “It’s not often you find a young lady of Jennifer’s caliber.” He then presented her with the National Guard Citizen Athlete Trophy for winning the contest's Southeast Region as well as a certificate of recognition from the National Guard. Billy Barnette then handed Jennifer the oversized check for $2,500.00 to a thunderous round of applause. Jennifer could not have been more gracious and grateful. She is a truly outstanding young lady and has a bright future in front of her. We wish her all the best at the University of Florida next year! Go Gators!