Bilingual student Zalto named Youth of the Year after essay on health disparities

Zalto was presented the Youth of the Year plaque by the Lincoln Land District in February 2025 after an application and an essay that focused on healthcare barriers facing minority communities.

The award recognizes academic work, community service and special achievements; a presenter said the winner scored more than 400 points across the application's first four categories and that the essay accounted for "maybe more than half" of the total score.

A staff member who reviewed the application described what the packet required: "You had to report on your activities. Okay? Not only your school activities, but your community service. You had to report on your grades, and then you had to report on your special achievements," the staff member said.

In an essay read at the presentation, Zalto described growing up as a bilingual Latina and said those experiences shaped her community-focused goals. "As a bilingual Latina, I have had the privilege of sharing my culture, the honor of fighting for an entire community, and the gift of seeing the world through numerous different lenses," she said.

Zalto recounted her mother's thyroid cancer diagnosis and the role she played translating medical information for her family: "After some reflection, I realized that the reason why there's an increased correlation between people of color and preventable diseases is because of patients' inability to obtain proper health guidance that keeps their culture and needs intact. Whether due to language barrier, price tag, or mistrust, millions of people are falling sick and dying of preventable diseases." She said that experience drove her to become "the bridge my parents dreamed of having."

Zalto told the room she plans to continue community service through her church, to serve Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood while attending Loyola University Chicago, and to pursue advanced nursing education: "With God's grace and years of dedication, my goal is to further my education and become a doctor of nursing practice to support my community." The essay also stated she had earned over 400 points in the application's four activity categories.

At the presentation, the staff member concluded, "On behalf of the Lincoln Land District and everyone in this room, including myself, we'd like to present you with this youth of the year plaque." No formal vote or other board action was recorded at the meeting regarding the award.

The presentation was brief and focused on the application, the essay and the plaque; no further program decisions or budgetary actions were announced.