Prize-winner makes grandmother proud

Mary Ellen Fresquez of Gilbert writes about her granddaughter, Samantha, of Avondale.

Allow a grandmother to gloat as grandmothers do. Last month I alerted my granddaughter, Samantha, to a contest sponsored by The Arizona Republic (Newspapers in Education) and the Ford Motor Co. The basis for this competition, the 2007 Ford Hispanic Heritage Art and Essay Contest, is to select a person of Hispanic descent who has made a significant contribution to the community or to the participating student's life. After doing research, the contestant is asked to write an essay and create a portrait of this person.

I thought of Samantha because of her love of writing and art. Not too long ago, I had "published" a small book of her poetry. Eight copies later, she was acting like a published author - book signings and such.

I asked her if she would be interested in entering this contest. Without hesitation, she agreed. We drew up a list of possible candidates for her research that included Cesar Chavez, the 1960s champion of farm workers; Ellen Ochoa, the astronaut; and patentholder Pedro Guerrero, namesake of an elementary school in Mesa that Samantha attended; and Margaret Montoya, my sister and her great-aunt, a professor and the first Latina to be accepted into Harvard Law School.

But ultimately the star power of America Ferrera won Samantha over. Initially disappointed, I was soon enlightened.

I downloaded and printed articles and pictures of this amazing young actress and 2006 Hispanic Woman of the Year. Samantha used the information to construct a four-paragraph outline. She selected the artist's photo that most appealed to her and rendered it in pencil on canvas.

Although my granddaughter is an East Valley girl, she and her family recently relocated to Avondale. In order to help her, I planned an overnight trip to my son's house. Of course, I didn't mind since I was also able to spend time with my grandson Jack. Maybe this was all a ruse to provide me with more "Grandma time!"

During that visit, I was able to observe a young lady who not only excels in imaginative writing, but who also uses a variety of grammar tools I never dreamed existed. Using colored pencils, she analyzed her rough draft, then proceeded to refine and perfect it. Her art is from her heart. The portrait that she drew was an act of extreme self-confidence. She knew exactly how to "highlight" America's hair, the color of lipstick she wanted, and of course, a most fitting background, the flag of the United States. The pencil rendering soon radiated with color.

Last week, I received a phone call in the middle of the afternoon. A small voice exclaimed, "Grandma, who do you think won second prize in a contest?" I told her I wasn't surprised. My only surprise was that she came in second.

She will be awarded her prize, a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a certificate of merit at a Palm Valley Elementary School assembly.

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