The Diamante Awards, hosted by The University of Toledo, will be Friday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. at Premier Banquet Hall, 4480 Heatherdowns Blvd. This year’s event celebrates 25 years of honoring Latino leadership and achievements in northwest Ohio. The awards take place during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

The Diamante Awards recognize individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement and service to the Latino and greater Toledo community. The event, a collaboration between Bowling Green State University, Herzing University, Lourdes University, Owens Community College and The University of Toledo, also serves to raise scholarship funds for Latino youth seeking advanced degrees.

This year’s winners are:
– Latino/Latina Youth Leadership: Stephanie Angel, whose research on stage-four brain tumors won first place in the cellular and molecular biology division and first place among undergraduate competitors at the Sigma Xi Research Symposium.
– Latino/Latina Adult Leadership: Mary Torres, who assists undocumented citizens with the naturalization process by helping them study and apply for the naturalization test.
– Latino/Latina Adult Professional: Dr. Gregory Guzman, former campus president of Herzing University in Toledo, the first Latino in northwest Ohio to hold such a position, and current executive director of Central City Ministry for the Catholic Diocese of Toledo.
– Corporation/Community Agency: Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) and Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO), which provide high quality, civil legal assistance to low-income people in northwest Ohio and have maintained a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion.
– Friend of the Latino Community: Dr. Richard Paat, who has been providing free health care to the Latino communities of northwest Ohio, Guatemala and Honduras for more than 15 years.

On Sept. 26, keynote speaker Juana Bordas will address topics from her award-winning book, The Power of Latino Leadership, during the awards presentation in the evening. Bordas will also visit the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, addressing “Leadership in a Multicultural Age” during the day.

Visit DiamanteToledo.org for more information and to register for the event.

To schedule an interview with the award winners, contact Alexis DeAnda Martinez at 419.372.2678 or adeanda@bgsu.edu. For any other questions regarding the awards, contact Margarita De Leon at 419.340.9410 or bravomagazine@sbcglobal.net.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Sept. 26, 2014)