Long time Identity Board member and advocate for Latino youth, Teresa Wright, is the quintessential community connector.  From a key position within the school system, she has been the heart and soul of a network of community organizations and government agencies dedicated to making Montgomery County one of the nation’s most immigrant friendly communities. To honor her, the 2017 Steering Committee of the Montgomery County Executive Hispanic Gala has announced that Ms. Wright will be the recipient of the 2017 “Advocate of the Year Award” during the celebration on September 7, 2017 at the Filmore Silver Spring.

Executive Director of Identity, Diego Uriburu is one of her greatest admirers, and says of his friend of 20 years, “Teresa Wright is a selfless and tireless advocate, whose primary motivation is the wellbeing of Latino students -a segment of the population that has tremendous potential but needs support to maximize it.”

Ms. Wright has four children and six grandchildren, but really she has thousands of children and grandchildren for she has dedicated her life to the ideal that all of our children should have an opportunity to succeed. Her teaching career began in Mexico and Illinois before she joined Montgomery County Public Schools in 1979. Since 1995, Ms. Wright has been working to ensure that immigrant families and their children in the Gaithersburg and Watkins Mill school communities have an opportunity to achieve success. These children and families know they have a friend in Teresa Wright as they navigate a new culture, community, and school.

Event information can be found here.