Hennepin Tech Student Wins Prestigious Leadership Award

Hennepin Tech student Gudalupe Lira-Jimenez has won a prestigious award.

Lira-Jimenez, or “Lupe” as she is known on campus, won the coveted MN Student Leadership Award for her leadership qualities.

“When I first got the award I was actually shocked because I did not know I was going to get an award,” Lira-Jimenez said. “I started crying because they were describing me about being the winner.”

Lira-Jimenez was humbled by the honor, which is given to the top student at two-year colleges in Minnesota.

“She’s taken on so many leadership positions and started out as kind of a quiet student, but really has found her voice,” said Brenna Hucka, a Hennepin Tech faculty member.

 As the student-senate president on campus, Lira-Jimenez is respected by fellow students and Hennepin Tech instructors.

“What makes her special is her drive,” Hucka said. “She’s on campus a lot.”

Lira-Jimenez  is a landscape design major with a green thumb, who thrives when she is around flowers, plants and trees.

“Love doing what I like to do,” she said. “Being in the greenhouse and designing.”

She will play a key role in Hennepin Tech’s annual plant sale that runs May 10, 11 and 12.

“It’s huge,” Lira-Jimenez said. “It’s really big. A bunch of people around the state come.”

“I like to ask her a lot about plants and she has given a few of us different plants to decorate our offices,” Hucka said. “I know she’ll be working the plant sale and it will be kind of fun to come down.”

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