LULAC Honors Torres Sanchez as Student of the Year
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 750 has honored Kassandra Torres Sanchez, a junior political science major at UA Little Rock, with the organization’s 2022 Student of the Year Award.
Torres Sanchez of Little Rock was honored during a Nov. 5 dinner celebrating the 17 UA Little Rock students who received LULAC scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year.
“I wasn’t expecting this award at all, but I am very grateful for it,” Torres Sanchez said. “I instantly went home after the banquet and told my parents that this award is for all of us. In my opinion, the reason I got the award is for all the support I received from my parents since I’m a first-generation student.”
Torres Sanchez said her parents, Jose Torres and Teresa Sanchez, couldn’t continue their education because they had to find work to support their families. However, they have always encouraged the importance of education to their children.
“My parents always tell me and my siblings that education comes first,” Torres Sanchez said. “It’s because of them that I’ve pushed myself to be here.”
Torres Sanchez has been a member of LULAC ever since she was a freshman at Little Rock Central High School. She serves as the youth council officer for LULAC Council 771, UA Little Rock’s chapter, and has been working to start LULAC student organizations at high schools in Central Arkansas.
Torres Sanchez was also among a group of UA Little Rock students who attended the LULAC National Convention this summer in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They were the first students from the university to attend the conference since 2016 and raised more than $11,000 for the trip, where they learned valuable skills in leadership, education, career preparation, and networking.
In addition to LULAC, Torres Sanchez is also a member of Young Democrats and a volunteer with the Multicultural Center and the Hispanic/Latinx Initiative.
After she graduates in spring 2024, Torres Sanchez plans to attend law school and later work at a nonprofit that provides immigrants with legal assistance.