Students Get Excited About Latino Heritage Month
By Roishina C. Henderson

“It feels good to have something for us.”

Danny Servin, 16, beamed with pride, as he shared his thoughts about celebrating Latino Heritage Month at a Hartsfield-Jackson’s luncheon series that commemorated culture and tradition.

Through the Office of Public Affairs’ Partners in Education program, Hartsfield-Jackson exposes Latin American high school students to careers in aviation and offers one-on-one networking opportunities with prominent Latin American leaders.

Themed “Paving a Foundation of Leadership,” students attend a luncheon series, a Delta Air Lines Museum tour and a flight simulator experience at the Delta Air Lines Training Operations Center in College Park. The final tour and luncheon will be held on October 9. The students were also invited to participate in a 300-word essay contest about Latin Americans who motivate them.

Erick Rios, a student at Tri-Cities High School, won the overall grand prize for the essay contest: two free roundtrip tickets from AirTran Airways.

“I come every year to the Airport [for the Latino Heritage Month events], and I look forward to it,” said Servin, a student at North Clayton High School, who earned first place in the essay contest from his school. Servin is a runner-up for the overall grand prize that will be awarded from all participating schools. Several prominent Latino leaders, such as Aviation Deputy General Manager Mario Diaz, Aviation Senior Facilities Manager Frank Rodriguez, InterPrint Communication Vice President Monica Maldonado, American Airlines Station Manager Juan Carlos Liscano, and President of Parking Company of America Susana Chavez, talked to students about the importance of education.

"Hartsfield-Jackson takes great pride in highlighting the advantages of a culturally diverse workforce,” said Tracy Gilbert, special programs manager at Hartsfield-Jackson and organizer of the event. “The goals of Latino Heritage Month are to educate students about the wealth of diversity in today’s workplace, motivate students to pursue careers in aviation, and to help inspire leadership characteristics by giving students more exposure to prominent Latino leaders.”

Hartsfield-Jackson provided a Latin music series for passengers in the Airport Atrium every Tuesday and Thursday. The Tahino Music group will conclude the music series on October 9.

Latino Heritage Month began officially in 2004 as a nationally recognized observance to promote the accomplishments of Latino American.