LETICIA ORTIZ
PALISADES HIGH SCHOOL

Established in 2023, the High School Female Flag Football Student-Athlete of the Year Award honors a female flag football player who distinguishes herself on the field and in the areas of scholarship, sportsmanship, citizenship, and leadership.

The 2025 High School Female Flag Football Student-Athlete of the Year Award goes to Palisades High School’s Leticia Ortiz. Leticia’s excellence is evident in every aspect of her life—athletically, academically, and through her dedicated service to her school and community. A standout member of the Palisades Flag Football team, she has served as a two-time captain while excelling in multiple positions, including safety, center, and corner. Her leadership and playmaking ability have been central to the team’s continued success, contributing to back-to-back CMS League Championships. Her accomplishments also extend beyond team success—Leticia was nominated for the NFL Latino Youth Honors Award (Carolina Panthers), celebrating her as one of the region’s top student-athletes for performance, community involvement, and character.

Academically, Leticia demonstrates the same level of commitment. With an outstanding 4.74 GPA and perfect attendance, she is recognized as one of Palisades’ highest-achieving students. She has been honored as a Coca-Cola Scholars Semifinalist (Top 1% nationally) and a Bank of America Student Leader (Top 3% acceptance) for her academic excellence, leadership, and outstanding engagement. Additionally, she earned recognition through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar Program (Top 9%), where she attended the Youth Leadership Institute.

Leticia’s leadership is reflected in her influence across campus. She serves as Vice President and Class President in Student Government, as well as President of the Black Student Union and Board Treasurer for Teens for Courage, where she helps lead school-wide initiatives focused on equity, empowerment, and student voice. She is also a proud member of the National Honor Society, where she upholds academic excellence and service as guiding values. Her leadership is not only vocal—it is action-oriented.

Her commitment to service is equally impressive. Leticia has completed impactful community outreach through internships and nonprofit work, including serving as a Marketing Intern for Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors in Need, where she created outreach campaigns that improved engagement and helped support over 16,000 families, including assisting in distributing $650,000 in donations. As a Bank of America Student Leader, she completed a finance internship with a crisis assistance ministry, where she supported budgeting, research, and client support efforts serving vulnerable populations. She also serves as Vice President of Volunteering at Atrium Health Hospital, organizing volunteer efforts for 300+ patients, training volunteers, and leading hospital improvement projects.

Leticia is also the Founder and Director of Destination Future, a nonprofit career development program where she leads and mentors a team of students, coordinates professional network opportunities, and has expanded programming with the support of a $4,000 project grant. Additionally, she coaches youth swimmers through the Just Swim program, teaching water safety, confidence, and skill development to over 60 young athletes.

Teachers, teammates, and coaches describe Leticia as driven, dependable, compassionate, and inspiring—a student-athlete who leads not for recognition, but to uplift others. Her integrity, commitment to growth, and dedication to community embody the spirit of this award.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club and Carolina Panthers are proud to present Leticia Ortiz with the Female Flag Football Student-Athlete of the Year Award.