Hispanic Leadership Association Celebrates Excellence, Culture & Achievement at 2025 Gala
Attendees at the Hispanic Leadership Association's Achievement and Scholarship Gala display flags at the event on Oct. 18, 2025. Photo courtesy of HLA-NJ
BY AALIYAH COLLINS | For AC JosepH Media
CHERRY HILL – Family, friends, educators, supporters, and other members of the community joined together to celebrate excellence, culture, and community at the Hispanic Leadership Association’s 12th Annual Achievement Awards and Scholarships Gala Event on Oct. 18.
The night at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, was dedicated to recognizing and inspiring local leaders and students. It was a night that left everyone in attendance with a feeling of pride and encouragement.
President of the New Jersey Hispanic Leadership Association, Johnny Santiago discussed the importance of investing into the newer generations. Awardees were handpicked based on their role in their community, leadership roles, and of course, their educational performance.
The gala was more than just an opportunity for everyone to celebrate the award winners and throw on their best suits, ties, gowns, and heels. It was an opportunity for current leaders to inspire future ones. People need role models. They need to see someone like them doing big things with their lives, so that they can picture themselves doing the same.
“I believe that their role is crucial to where we go next,” said Santiago.
Santiago discussed how important it is to pour into the youth, because they are the future. Sometimes all it takes is one act to encourage them to pursue their dreams. To establish a career, to build a future for themselves.
Whether it was $100 or $1,000, anything to show them that they mean something and that people are rooting for them to win, is enough.
“When you give an individual a scholarship that’s needed, they’ll remember that. And they’ll come back and pay it forward,” said Santiago.
Angel Fuentes, president of the Camden City Council was also in attendance.
Fuentes strives to carve a path to success in the Hispanic community. He frequently thinks of ways to bring communities together to support and inspire one another. He looks for opportunities for people to make connections and learn about resources that are available to them.
“So that people can say, ‘Wow, we can intimate these people, we can learn from them, or we can grow because of them,'” said Fuentes.
Throughout the night, everyone had the chance to introduce people to one another and make connections.
A live band performed popular songs shared across the Latino community with genres including salsa, merengue, and bachata. Guests danced to their favorites and enjoyed the music that filled the room.
There were two places available for guests to take photos for memories. Many took advantage of the red carpet and back drop area for photos, but others tried out the 360-degree spin camera with family and friends to make a fun video.
Everyone left satisfied as food and drinks were served at the gala. The night was rich with positivity, happiness, and great vibes all around. One of the awardees, Camden City Councilwoman At-Large Nohemi Soria-Perez, expressed her pride in all those that were recognized at the gala.
“We have to ensure that our students feel prepared, but most importantly, that they feel supported,” said Soria-Perez. “And part of that support is with scholarships to ensure that they have the tools necessary in order to finish their college education.”
Soria-Perez says that events like the awards and scholarship gala work to inspire the next generation of leaders. She said it opens up their minds to thinking that they can be the one winning the award or scholarship one day.
She made sure to highlight the fact that no one in their community should ever feel alone. Soria-Perez said that they have created a safe space and a village where anyone can benefit from as long as they are committed, put forth the effort, continue to study, and make it on time to class.
“It’s important to understand that we have a voice,” she said. “The Latino community is very strong. We must ensure that we are moving forward in unity, celebrating our heritage, celebrating our contributions to the community, and ensuring that we use this voice to empower others.”
Lt. Gov.-elect, Dale Caldwell attended the event to show his support and to congratulate the award and scholarship recipients. As a former educator with over 30 years of experience and president of Centenary University, he was especially proud of everyone.
Caldwell reminded everyone that the youth and the Latino community are heavily supported. He added that they are surrounded by a community that is eager to see them thrive and are rooting for their success.
He said that countless people believe in them and their potential. It is crucial for them to know the village that stands behind them.
“Social-emotional health is so important that we want to make sure that people take care of themselves emotionally,” Caldwell said. “Because there are too many young people that are feeling depressed, that are feeling down. And we want to make sure that they know how special they are and that life is really a great opportunity for them.”
There are many students who want to succeed. They just need direction and support to do so.
“There are three things that are key to success,” said Caldwell. “One is to be emotionally resilient. You have to deal with things that are challenging emotionally. Two is to be intellectually curious.
“You want to always learn. You want to develop. Even after college, you want to continue learning. And third, is intercultural competence. To spend time with people who are different. It’s really important to do that because that’s the key to success in life.”
Awardees included:
Founders Award – Jonathan E. Diego, Esq.
Veterans Award – Ada Velez-Boardley
Law & Justice – Carmen Y. Rivera. Esq.
Public Service – Nohemi Sofia-Perez
Business – Angel Lopez
Healthcare Advocate – Brunilda “Cookie” Sanchez
Non-Profit Advocate – Melissa Morales
Arts & Entertainment – Carlos Sanchez
Police Department Law Enforcement – Gabriel Camacho
Education – Dr. Evelyn Nunez
Media & Journalism – Jorge “BadBoy” Melendez
Fire Department Firefighter – Lydia Maldonado-Chapman
Diversity & Inclusion – Ashley Caruso-Condon
Scholarships
Eliacim Cardona – Rowan University – Majoring in Entrepreneurship
Rofell Bello Castillo – Rowan University – Majoring in Engineering
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