North Henderson student one of four grand prize winners in national essay contest

HENDERSONVILLE - For the second year in a row, a student from Henderson County Public Schools has won Optimum and TelevisUnivision's Hispanic Heritage Month essay contest, which is an annual national contest held Sept. 15-Oct. 15 to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

On Dec. 7 at North Henderson High School, 11th grader Citlally Diaz, 17, was honored for winning one of just four $3,000 scholarship grand prize awards out of thousands of entries across the country. There were three other winners, with East and West division winners for both high school and middle school.

Last year, Apple Valley Middle School's Christopher Hernandez-Montero won the award.

Diaz said the focus of her essay was the cultural aspect of the dance and the role that it plays in Hispanic culture.

"Growing up dance has always been a long language for me and a way of expressing myself without the need or use of words," she told the Times-News on Dec. 8. "At times where words can’t express what I feel, dancing becomes a substitute. To me dancing is a synonym of happiness. It brings me pride and joy and helps me embrace and share my cultures with others."

Diaz said she saw an unknown number calling her phone on Nov. 21 and decided to answer it, just in case it was something important. It was actually a call from her teacher, Julie Holbert.

"She had found out (about her winning) and she had called my phone. I had never been more excited. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I literally squealed in excitement and started jumping on my bed ... literally. I think I might’ve also busted Mrs. Holbert's eardrums," Diaz said. "After that I called my mom and let her know the good news, which is funny considering that that same morning she had asked me if the results were out yet."

Diaz said she is the daughter of two Mexican immigrant parents: Yanet Mar Peralta (her mother) and Esau Diaz Hernandez (her father).

"My Hispanic heritage is something that I hold very dearly to my heart. Growing up, they always made sure to instill that sense of cultural appreciation within me from telling me folklore stories, singing songs, reading books and food, too," she said. "What I found that connected me the most to my Hispanic heritage was dance. I love to dance and to be honest it’s a love language for me."

More: Apple Valley Middle student one of four grand prize winners in national contest

Holbert describes Diaz as a "very bright, outgoing and positive young lady."

"She gives her all in everything she does and is a leader among her peers.  She is not afraid to stand out and speak up for what she believes is right," Holbert told the Times-News on Dec. 8.

Holbert said she's always encouraged her students to participate in essay contests or other opportunities to "show how great they are."

"I can't take credit for giving her information on this essay, though," Holbert said. "She came to me after she found out about it, and I then encouraged her to enter because I knew she had a flare for words. I was blown away by her essay. The way she was able to pour her feelings and emotions into words expressing her love of her Hispanic Culture was very touching and made me so proud of her."

The other winners were Nydia C. Nydia C. from International High School in Paterson, New Jersey; Ginelle M. from St. Ignatius School in The Bronx, New York and Rachel Z. from A&M Consolidated Middle School in College Station, Texas.

“This year’s long-running Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest saw the largest number of student submissions since the contest was first launched over 10 years ago,” said Lisa Gonzalez Anselmo, Chief Diversity Officer at Optimum, in a news release. “We are thrilled to see such great excitement around the contest and the students’ passion to spotlighting the contributions that the Hispanic American community makes to our everyday lives. We look forward to celebrating with the winners during our recognition events in the coming weeks and to continue supporting and uplifting all the communities we serve.”

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Love of dance the focus of award-winning essay by North Henderson's Diaz