APOLLO BEACH — Balloons, banners, and bouquets of flowers transformed the SouthShore Falls community center into a place fit for a huge celebration.

The time had finally arrived for 32 migrant students from Lennard, East Bay, Riverview, and Spoto High Schools to be honored for accomplishing an amazing achievement. They were graduating from high school.

"These are such hard-working kids and it is a huge honor and accomplishment for them," said SouthShore Chamber of Commerce executive director Melanie Rimes. "Many of them actually work on the farms and have to travel four or five times a year following the crops with their parents.

"But these parents have made their education a priority. These kids have so many obstacles that other kids don’t, and we want to recognize them and their parents for all the sacrifices they have made for their children to succeed. They want something better for them."

Olga Perez, the Migrant Advocate at Lennard High School, helped initiate the annual tradition. She knows the unique circumstances that make completing high school such a daunting task.

"These students have struggles unlike other students because of their mobility," Perez said. "Some of them come in after the first quarter of the school year has already started, so they are behind from the very beginning."

The migrant advocacy program personnel helps these students get acclimated and to get caught up with their classwork. It’s a difficult challenge because they have to work harder than their peers who attend school regularly throughout the year.

Some of the students also have the additional challenge of living with the uncertainty surrounding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that allows those brought to the country without their consent, to go on to higher education.

The event fetes the students as well as the parents.

"They are the ones that have made the greatest sacrifices," Perez said. "They really want this for their children, to complete high school because most of them weren’t lucky enough to even attend high school. They have no education and spend their lives working in the fields. That’s all the life they know."

The SouthShore Chamber has sponsored the event for 11 years, but Rick Rios, chair of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay SouthShore Council, said the council picked up the costs this year allowing other chamber sponsors to donate more money to scholarships.

Among the students singled out for outstanding achievement were Lennard High School’s Esmeralda Martinez who received a $1,250 scholarship from the SouthShore Chamber of Commerce for her dedication to her education and commitment to her goals.

Chamber members Penny and John Smith donated a $500 gift card to Lennard’s Patricia Angel, enough for her to enroll in two classes at Erwin Technical School or jump start her tuition at Hillsborough Community College. The Smith’s also provided a laptop for Lennard’s Amparo Aguilera.

During the awards ceremony, each graduate was presented with a certificate of achievement with a personal message from County Commissioner Sandy Murman. They also received a beautiful gold medallion commemorating their success.

In a heartfelt inspirational message, the keynote speaker for the evening, Enrique Martinez, left the students with a message of perseverance.

"Never give up on your dreams no matter how long it takes. If you want to pursue that dream, nothing can stop you. The only person that can stop you is you."