HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-127 (Human Rights Award – Mirna Rojas)RESOLUTION 2016-127
STILL WATER HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
MIRNA ROJAS
WHEREAS, the Stillwater Human Rights Commission requested nominations for the 2016 Stillwater
Human Rights Award. This year we had two winning candidates; and
WHEREAS, MIRNA ROJAS has been nominated for being a crucial life -line for Spanish-speaking families
at our Stillwater Area School community, faced with a language barrier, on an on-going basis for over 5
years; and
WHEREAS, MIRNA has spent countless evenings and weekends educating, empowering, and advocating
for these Spanish-speaking students and families, so that they are treated with dignity and have equal access
to educational opportunities. She is relentless providing culturally responsive support that gives these
families a voice and helps them to be successful in our school system, even assists with completing Special
Education forms only available in English. As a conduit that allows two-way communication between
families and school, MIRNA allows our Spanish-speaking parents and their children to feel safe and
welcomed at school. They can also trust that there is someone who can fully communicate with their
children and understand them not only linguistically, but also culturally; and
WHEREAS, MIRNA has also played a huge role in helping teachers communicate all things related to
school, including anything from attendance issues, to permission slip forms, or academic and behavioral
concerns. She has helped staff convey to parents the importance of school involvement, and will directly
contact families and invite them to come to the school, to be a part of their child's educational experience,
and encourages them to ask questions. She schedules and attends conferences and meetings with the
educators, and translates so that parents can fully understand and communicate; and
WHEREAS, MIRNA helped to facilitate a parent group for Spanish-speaking families called Caminos,
that creates partnerships between parents, students, and educators to further students' academic
achievement; and
WHEREAS, last but not least, MIRNA'S home has become a place of resource for many Spanish-
speaking families: hosting homework help sessions; or providing a place where people can drop by at any
time to ask questions, MIRNA is one woman filling a void that this community has a great need, but has no
systems in place.
Now THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Stillwater, Minnesota, one
2016 Human Rights Award is presented to MIRNA ROJAS in appreciation of her outstanding leadership and
dedication to human rights, and is hereby commended for those efforts.
Adopted by the City Council this 21st day of June, 2016.
"La
TED KOZLOWSKI, MAYOR