'This one was for my family'

Arlington High School senior Chris Cortez was recently announced as a Gold Recipient for the 23rd Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards in the sports and fitness category. This earned Chris, 18, and his parents a trip to the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, where Chris was honored not only for his athletic abilities, but for his grades, community service and extracurricular activities as well. "This one was for my family," Chris said of the award. "All starting with my great-great-grandfather Espinosa. … He had a special kind of drive that he passed through all the different generations of my family. That is something that makes me push myself in everything I do." Chris is the son of Steve and Kimberly Cortez. He was chosen as a Gold Recipient from a pool of about 30,000 applicants within eight states: Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana and Iowa. He plays left guard and defensive tackle on the varsity football team and has won many awards, including Honorable Mention All-State, Second Team All Northwest Ohio and First Team All BVC. Chris is also an Eagle Scout and is heavily involved with community service. He has volunteered at Arlington United Methodist Church, the science department at Cory-Rawson school, and Arlington Fest, among others. The ceremony took place Feb. 8 and was sponsored by the National Football Association, in partnership with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), to recognize Hispanic youths who have contributed their talents to the field of sports and fitness. The ceremony was held as part of the NFL's Super Bowl LVI week, as the NFL has recently begun celebrating Hispanic heritage and supporting the efforts of the youths within their communities. While in Los Angeles, Chris said he had the opportunity to meet Mexican-American singer Ally Brooke and Chilean NFL player Sammis Reyes. Chris plans to attend Bowling Green State University to study education. He said he would also like to become a football coach. The Youth Awards were founded in 1998 by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and honor Latino high school seniors who excel in the classroom and community. Other categories of awards include business and entrepreneurship, community service, education, engineering, green sustainability, health care and science, media and entertainment, public service and social justice, and technology.