Representative Geraldo Alicea (D- Charlton) recently delivered the keynote address at the 23rd annual Hispanics Achieving and Celebrating Excellence (H.A.C.E) awards reception and ceremony on Wednesday, October 8th at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester.

Thirty-five Hispanic youth from various Worcester Public Schools were honored at the event for their outstanding efforts in the areas of academics, the arts, athletics, community service, and leadership. In addition to being recognized, each student received a monetary award to aid them in their future educational and academic endeavors. Representative Alicea addressed the youth award recipients and their families, commenting on his own experiences growing up as a Latino in the community, and his current role as State Representative.

“As a member of the Latino community, it was wonderful to be able to celebrate the outstanding achievements of various Hispanic youth, and I was honored to have had the opportunity to offer encouragement and share my own experience to these promising young students” said Representative Alicea.

The H.A.C.E was created in 1985 by faculty and staff at Quinsigamond Community College, along with business and community leaders of Worcester, to raise community awareness of the richness of Hispanic culture. H.A.C.E encourages youth to focus on education, recognizes achievements of young people of Hispanic heritage, and provides positive role models through inspirational speakers and exposure to community leaders.