GISD Inventor Winners

A letter from Alejandra Aguilar -

Dear LULAC President Robert Quintero,

On behalf of Galveston ISD, we want to extend

our heartfelt gratitude for the excitement and recognition you shared upon learning about the remarkable achievements of our students.  Your enthusiasm meant so much, and we are honored to share this moment of pride with you and the broader community.

We are incredibly proud of our Galveston ISD students who represented us at the Texas A&M State Invention Convention.  With rigorous expectations set by distinguished judges, our student inventors rose to the challenge and performed extraordinarily!

Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our top inventors:

🏅 K-2nd Grade Category – 1st Place:Mariana Velazquez, Nathaniel Ortiz, & Leonardo Orellana for their invention "Backpack Safety"Teacher: Mr. Christian Salgado – an exceptional bilingual educator from Burnet Elementary who was recently named to the Galveston Daily News 40 Under 40.

🏅 3rd-5th Grade – 1st Place and Invited to Nationals:Olga Estrada with "Safekeeper"🏅

 3rd-5th Grade – 2nd Place:Fidencio Leija with "Fruity Fruit Dryer 9000"Fidencio also received the Best in Agriculture Award and an invitation to the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals!

Olga and Fidencio, along with Emerson Quintanilla Vasquez and Olivia Tabibzadengan, were invited to participate in the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals held in Dearborn, Michigan from June 4–6.  Out of 21 Texas student finalists, these students were the four 5th grade students from GISD—a testament to the talent and dedication within our district.

We owe a tremendous thank you to Dr. Jean Langevine, GISD’s District Science Director, whose unwavering belief in our students opened the door to this incredible opportunity. We also deeply appreciate Mr. Christian Salgado for guiding his kindergartners with passion and creativity throughout their invention journey.

A special note of gratitude goes to our incredible Superintendent, Dr. Matthew Neighbors.  His vision and support made it possible for GISD students to participate in this state and national-level competitions.  We truly could not have done it without him.

Lastly, I want to recognize the vital role of us parent-educators, who served as liaisons for students from first-generation families.  Our efforts helped build the trust needed for parents to feel confident in allowing their children to travel out of state and participate.  I was honored to serve in this role alongside Dr. Shawn Castro, and together, we worked tirelessly before and during Nationals to ensure our students had every opportunity to shine.   Thank you once again, President Quintero, for your continued support and for celebrating the brilliance and potential of our students.  Please let me know if you need any other information. 

With gratitude, 

Alejandra Aguilar