Azucena has been highly involved in the life of the Walnut Hill neighborhood in her six years of residency. Despite the Spanish-to-English language barrier, she is always keen to help neighbors, even with little things like a ride from school. When first asked what would make an ideal neighborhood, she replied (in Spanish), “the ability to communicate better with neighbors and spend more time with them. If they need something, I could share those things with them.”
Fast forward to 2022 and the opening of the Walnut Hill Community Center, Azucena was first in line to offer her time and talent for connecting people. She has helped at movie nights, block parties, and socials. She has also spent time watching neighborhood children so other neighborhood parents can attend the biannual Local Leader School and has contributed copious amounts of food to monthly community meals.
Having graduated from Local Leaders School, Azucena began making her dream of better communication with neighbors a reality. At the inception stage of an English conversation hour, Azucena played a crucial role in gathering a community of other neighbors with similar dreams. As a result, the first-ever conversation hour had not a few participants. Because of her love for Walnut Hill and her contribution to its flourishing, Azucena was selected as the 2022 Walnut Hill Neighborhood Hero award recipient!