Voices That Uplift Multilingual Excellence: A Celebration of Educators and Partnerships
- LatinoLEAD
- Jul 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 22
At LatinoLEAD, we believe educators, paraprofessionals, support staff, parents, and community partners who champion multilingual excellence are the true backbone of an equitable education system. Their work preserving language, strengthening cultural identity, and advancing educational equity deserves to be celebrated and uplifted.
On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, LatinoLEAD’s Education Action Team (E.A.T.) hosted its highly anticipated celebration, “Voices that Uplift Multilingual Excellence,” at the Prior Works Building in St. Paul, where education nonprofit partners and civic engagement leaders gathered to honor those who are making a transformative impact on multilingual education across Minnesota.
The Education Action Team (E.A.T.) celebrated "Voices that Uplift Multilingual Excellence" event brought together education nonprofit partners and civic engagement leaders to recognize those making a significant difference in multilingual education throughout Minnesota.
This inaugural celebration, co-hosted with partners from Minnesota Education Equity Partnership (MNEEP) and LinkingLeaders, which includes: The African American Leadership Forum (AALF), The Coalition of Asian American Leaders, and the Tiwahe Foundation; demonstrated a shared commitment to preserving language and cultural identity while building community power and received close to 40 nominations.
The event centered around three core purposes:
Honoring and celebrating multilingual educators and advocates
Expanding the Education Action Team network through joyful community building
Grounding future advocacy efforts in cultural legacy, joy, and lived experiences
A Day of Recognition and Inspiration
The program officially kicked off with a warm welcome from 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the year, Natalia Alvarez Benjamin, who was our Award Celebrant Emcee and grounded participants in the ‘why’ of Multilingual Education. “Creemos que el idioma, la cultura y la identidad de cada estudiante son fortalezas que deben ser celebradas y protegidas.”
Next, keynote speaker, Luis Versalles, inspired attendees with a powerful message on the importance of multilingualism and the role of culturally inspired educators in shaping Minnesota’s future.
“ We can and we need to create systems and reimagine education by humanizing education.”
After brunch, featuring delicious tamales, panecito, and cafecito, the program turned to celebration through culture with a vibrant performance by Ritmos del Perú, coordinated by Gisela Reyes.
Honoring Excellence in Multilingual Education
At the heart of the event was our inaugural awards ceremony, recognizing incredible leaders and organizations whose work embodies multilingual excellence and cultural pride:
🏆 Education Excelencia Latina en la Educación Award — LatinoLEAD, Presented to Jimmie Patiño.
🏆They/She/He-ro Award — African American Leadership Forum (AALF), Presented to Gisela Santiago.
🏆 English Learner Advocate Award — Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), Presented to Pablo Ochoa Veloz.
🏆 Indigenous Language Stewardship Award — Tiwahe Foundation and CAAL, Presented to Bagwajinini Alex Kmett and Pang Shoua Vang.
Please read more about our amazing educators below:
These awards highlighted the collaborative ecosystem of educators and partners working every day to uplift multilingual and cultural heritage in schools.
“Today you honored a diversity of champions who fiercely defend the linguistic heritage
of their people and expect it to be nurtured in our public schools for its own sake and for
its power to enable students to achieve academic excellence in all fields of study.”
Following the awards, MNEEP’s Executive Director, Carlos Mariani, and Director of Research and Emerging Multilingual Network, Janett Casillas, offered closing remarks, including an exciting announcement of LatinoLEAD’s partnership with MN Education Equity Partnership to combine MNEEP’s Emerging Mulitilingual Learners Network and LatinoLEAD’s Education Action Team for their Mulitlingual Excellence World Cafe campaign.
The day concluded with a community survey, gift giveaways for participants, and an open networking space that allowed educators and partners to continue forging connections and sharing stories.
Looking Ahead
This joyful gathering was not only a moment of celebration but also a call to action: to continue honoring multilingual educators, building strong partnerships, and advocating for policies that protect language and culture. LatinoLEAD’s Education Action Team and MNEEP are looking toward the future. We invite all educators, families, and community members to join us in this work on July 16th for project overview and joint statement — together, we can ensure Minnesota’s education system reflects the brilliance, language, and heritage of every child.
Join us —please reach out to Sabrina Tapia if you wish to join Education Action Team Educational Policy efforts. sabrina@latinoleadmn.org
A Message from Advocacy Program Manager, Sabrina Tapia
It has been an honor to witness this celebration come to life–not because of any single person’s effort, but because of the collective effort of educators, families and advocates who show up everyday for our multilingual families and scholars. This ceremony is a reflection of their brilliance and a reminder that real policy reform must start by listening to those who live this work. After a legislative season and academic year full of challenges, this moment reminds us that when we center community, hope rises–and so does the possibility of lasting change. Adelente!
Follow us on social media to keep up with Education Action Team news and future opportunities to get involved to see more of our event, please review pictures here.