Rincón brings home a Silver Knight
It was the culmination of a memorable and historic high school journey. The Silver Knight Award ceremony, hosted annually by The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, was held virtually on May 29th for the first time since its founding in 1959. Eleven Belen Jesuit seniors were nominated for the coveted award that recognizes outstanding high school seniors for their unselfish service to their school and community.
The highlight of the evening was when Esteban Rincón won the top honor in science. Since 2016, he has been working to fuel a passion for science in youth. Volunteering with Breakthrough Miami, he taught science, engineering, and coding to underserved youth through hands-on projects he developed himself. Esteban had an instant connection with the kids and discovered he wanted to continue helping other children in other areas. This gave birth to the Young Tinkers Robotics Foundation.
Esteban took all the necessary steps to make Young Tinkers Foundation a non-profit organization. The initiative took off. His dream of a cost-free robotics program to benefit the inner city community became a reality. He immediately began working with youth from San Juan Bosco Parish, located in Little Havana. Every Tuesday, he traveled with a group of his peers from Belen to teach middle school students how to build their own VEX IQ robots, instilling in them a passion for robotics.
The Young Tinkers Foundation has provided underserved youth the opportunity to learn something new each week and gets them excited about learning outside of their traditional classroom environment. Esteban will receive a $2,000 scholarship from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a Silver Knight statue, an AAdvantage 25,000-mile travel certificate and the Silver Knight medallion presented by American Airlines employees.
“I am very honored and humbled to have been selected as a Silver Knight recipient in the science category,” said Esteban Rincón. “I am so glad that the robotics program I started at San Juan Bosco is gaining attention for the positive impact it is making in the community. I hope this recognition helps the program continue to grow beyond what it is today and helps more underprivileged students than I was able to serve during my high school career.”
In addition to Esteban’s Silver Knight, three Belen seniors received Honorable Mentions: Andrés Alfonso for English & Literature, Kevin Valido for Journalism and Carlos Caballero for Speech. They were among 90 students chosen for this recognition and will receive a plaque and $500.
“Each of these young men has proven his salt time and time again,” said Father Willie ‘87. “Their work in our community is a reflection of their character and a glimpse at what they will accomplish as adults. We are immensely proud of the 11 nominees and congratulate Esteban on his win and Andrés, Kevin and Carlos for their recognition.”
The other nominees from Belen Jesuit were among the 700 students from 103 public and private schools in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties. They were: Domingo Cortínez - Social Science, Leandro Matos - Vocational Technical, Víctor Bisbal - General Scholarship, Pablo Puga - World Languages, Stéfano Sánchez - Business, John Michael Tonda - Digital & Interactive Media and Francisco Paredes - Athletics.
“I am very proud of our 11 Silver Knight nominees,” said Principal José E. Roca '84. “They exemplify our Grad at Grad principles of being Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving, and Committed to Social Justice. I wish them well as they continue to pursue their passions. I have no doubt we will continue to see great things from each of them.”
The Silver Knight awards are among the nation’s most highly regarded student award programs, and as a community, Belen is proud to be a part of the program's 62-year history. Nominees for the Silver Knight serve as examples of what it means to be a true man for others, with their Jesuit values at the core of everything they do.
“All the boys nominated this year worked on developing their projects since the onset of high school,” said Silver Knight Coordinator Mrs. Claudia Basso. “It takes an enormous amount of dedication towards a single project and throughout the application process to get to the end of this journey. Every single nominee this year went above and beyond and showed perseverance through it all. It’s a well-deserved recognition for all! I can’t wait to begin working with the Class of 2021.”
Meetings will take place in the fall for those interested in the Silver Knight competition. If a member of the class of 2021 has a project already started or has ideas for one, you are encouraged to make an appointment with Mrs. Basso by emailing her at cbasso@belenjesuit.org.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.