A San Diego High School senior who helps young Haitian refugees in Tijuana avoid human trafficking was Wednesday named the winner of a prize for improving race relations.
Yulvi Reyes will be honored May 7 with an annual award by the Princeton Prize in Race Relations Committee of San Diego. The committee is one of 25 in the U.S. to grant the award, which is given to high school students across the country who have advanced the cause of positive race relations in their schools or communities.
According to the committee, Yulvi started workshops in Tijuana to help the refugees build their self-esteem in order to stand up to traffickers, created a network of support on both sides of the border and worked with Mexican officials to provide basic goods to the refugees.
The winner in each region receives a cash award of $1,000 and is invited to Princeton University’s campus for an all-expenses-paid trip to attend a symposium on race relations.
At next month’s event at the San Diego Yacht Club, the committee will also honor Erika Gutierrez, Olia Javidi and Leslie Martinez with certificates of accomplishment in recognition of their efforts.
According to the committee, Gutierrez attends Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, Javidi goes to Francis Parker School and Martinez is a student at Vista High School.
—City News Service
