Winner at Lake Worth Community High School

Lake Worth High School Student Earns First Place in National Bilingual Essay Competition

Renel Louis is a senior at Lake Worth Community High School who wrote an essay entitled “Bilingualism and Personal Growth: How Being Bilingual Will Assist Me in My Future Endeavors.”

His paper received the first place prize in the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) 2025 Being Bilingual Student Essay Contest.

“Winning first prize is a dream come true for me,” Louis said. “I am deeply grateful to my teachers, Ms. Marta Perez Rodriguez and Ms. Maria de la Cruz for their guidance, and to my mom for always motivating me to believe in myself and strive for excellence".

Written in English and Spanish for his Latinos in Action class, Louis used the essay to explore the ways in which being bilingual has helped him in his life.

He wrote in part, “if I hadn’t decided to speak a language other than my own, I would miss out on many opportunities and wouldn’t be able to appreciate this wonderful world full of diversity.”

Read about this First-Place winner from Lake Worth High