Desert Mirage High student wins Desert Dialogues for writing about health of field workers
In our inaugural installment of Desert Dialogues, we received over 100 responses from high schoolers across all three public school districts in the Coachella Valley. Our weekly short-answer writing contest allows local students to share their views with the community on a variety of local issues.
Due to the high number of thought-provoking responses, the past week's voting options were a continuation of our first writing prompt: What local cause or issue would you choose to support if you were a philanthropist and why? What factors would you consider to determine which local causes you would endorse?
And the Rams have done it again: Congratulations to Mariangela Bautista, a junior from Desert Mirage High School in Thermal, whose response to the prompt earned her the most votes.
First identified as Student A, Bautista considered the health concerns of field workers in the Coachella Valley. "Many of the health risks they face can come from exposure to sunlight and fertilizers but we don’t recognize the solution," Bautista wrote. "Therefore, if I were a philanthropist I would focus on donating my resources to field workers in the Coachella Valley to combat these health concerns."
Learn more about this week's spotlighted student below:
Q&A with Mariangela Bautista from Desert Mirage High School
What's a song that you're playing on repeat?
"La Llorona" by Chavela Vargas
What's a book recommendation you have?
"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
What's your favorite restaurant in the Coachella Valley?
Taco Shop 760
Who has been one of the most impactful teachers you've had?
Ms. Tafoya
What's a fun fact about you?
I dance Ballet Folclórico.
We extend our gratitude to the high school students whose responses we published last week:
Derrick Castillo, Indio High School
Adriel De La Cruz, Palm Springs High School
Alexandra Espinosa, Palm Desert High School
Arely Lara, Desert Mirage High School
Riley Rosam, Palm Desert High School
Itzel Zendejas, Coachella Valley High School
Zhihan Zhang, Desert Mirage High School
As Coachella Valley Unified, Desert Sands Unified and Palm Springs Unified school districts are out on spring break, Desert Dialogues will return next Monday, April 8.
More: When is spring break 2024 for Coachella Valley schools?
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Mirage High junior wins for writing about field workers' health