When students at Borough of Manhattan Community College’s Latino Honor Society invited Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión to speak at their annual dinner, they were hoping for an inspirational speech. What they got was that and more. Carrion arrived at the society’s annual dinner with an official proclamation in hand formally declaring the day, May 10, to be BMCC Latino Honor Society Day in the Bronx.
Declaring, “the members of the Latino Honor Society at BMCC have demonstrated academic excellence in the classroom in addition to possessing personal characteristics of integrity, discipline, and determination,” Carrion presented the proclamation to Wanda Shadwick, president of the Latino Honor Society and Bronx resident, and other officers of the society. Carrion encouraged the students to take their place in history.
WCBS reporter and anchor Mario Bosquez also addressed the students at the dinner, calling on them to stand up for values they believe in. Bosquez encouraged the students to advocate for their concerns and needs and not to expect others to do so for them.
Students are invited to join the Latino Honor Society based on their academic achievement and grade point average. The mission of the society is to unite high achieving Latino students in an institutionalized forum for the intellectual and social exchange of ideas and concerns that foster development and progress. The society sponsors networking activities to help introduce students to Latino faculty members and workshops throughout the year to help students cope with a variety of issues, such as depression and stress, that may interfere with their academic achievement.
The Latino Honor Society holds an annual awards dinner each year at which time the group recognizes several faculty, staff, and community members for their support. Approximately 150 student scholars, family members, faculty and friends attended the May 10 dinner on the BMCC Campus.
