ILLINOIS (WCIA) — State Comptroller Susana Mendoza honored three Illinois community leaders at a ceremony for Hispanic Heritage Month on Monday.

The leaders include Richland Community College Vice President, Peoria Police Chief, and a village worker around St. Louis. The honorees noted the stress many Hispanic people face from discrimination and the importance of helping other Hispanic leaders succeed.

“Hispanic heritage, to me, is a time to celebrate and also to reflect on our history, our strengths, and our shared responsibility to honor the generations before us and the values that have shaped us,” Isaac Zúñiga, Executive Vice President of Academics and Student Success at Richland Community College, said.

Mendoza is the first Hispanic woman elected to statewide office in Illinois history.