Albuquerque Sunport Optimist Club entered seventh-grader Samantha Jaramillo, a contestant from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Belen, in the District Oratorical Contest. The contest was held at the Elephant Butte Inn in Elephant Butte on April 13.
Samantha Jaramillo
Students from the Albuquerque Evening Club and the Bel Air Club in El Paso also competed. Samantha’s competition included three high school seniors, yet Samantha gave the most prepared and content-rich presentation.
Samantha won first place and will receive a $2,500 college scholarship. A young lady from El Paso won second place and will receive a $1,500 college scholarship, and a senior from Albuquerque Evening Club won third place and will receive a $1,000 college scholarship.
Samantha is the daughter of Fred and Deanna Jaramillo, of Bosque Farms. St. Mary’s students have always done well in the Optimist’s Oratorical contest with recent winners being Sofia Castillo and Tommie Rae McKnight. Samantha will be going to St. Louis, Mo., in July to compete in the national contest.
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
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April 18, 2024
