Congratulations to University High School senior Constantine Stefanidis, whose short story, “Experiencias de Sueños,” was selected for publication in Albricias, a student journal published by the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, an honor society for high school students enrolled in Spanish and/or Portuguese classes.
The magazine features essays, poetry, and short stories, as well as photography and artwork created by student members of the organization. The publication is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). Cash awards are presented to award-winning student contributions to the journal.
“My short response is about experiences I’ve had playing soccer in my hometown in Greece with kids from different backgrounds and dialects, transcending language and culture barriers,” said Constantine.
“I chose to write a short story because I wanted the chance to be a published author, and I really related to and had ideas for the prompt, which was about the values of tourism and travel.”
Constantine, a student in the AP Spanish Language and Culture class, learned about the submission process from his Spanish teacher, Mercedes Muñiz-Peredo. As a member of AATSP, Señora Muñiz-Peredo presented the opportunity to be selected for publication to all of her AP Spanish students.
“I was so excited for Constantine’s work to be selected and also for [University] to be showcased in such a positive way,” she said. “He is the first student from UHS to be published in Albricias–hopefully the first of many more to come!”
Constantine, who is interested in pursuing psychology, communications, and Spanish in the future, credits Señora Muñiz-Peredo with encouraging and supporting him. Señora also invited Constantine’s family to attend the school-wide assembly on Mar. 17 to witness her announcement about Constantine’s selection to the UHS community. His sister, Maria-Nefeli Stefanidou, attended as a surprise.
“[Señora Muñiz-Peredo] inspired me to write a submission and edited my draft with me,” he said. “A big thanks to Señora and Albricias!”
Additionally, Señora Muñiz-Peredo acknowledges Constantine’s “characteristic positive attitude” and setting the bar high in everything he does as essential to his work being published.
“Constantine is an exceptional student, not just because he is bright and learning his third language, but because he is such a positive and energetic force in our classroom. He is the student leader that every teacher longs to have.”
You can read Constantine’s short story, “Experiencias de Sueños,” in the March 2023 issue of Albricias on page 17.