Elaine Angelica Leon
Elaine Angelica Leon's Full Story
Elaine Angelica Leon has been an Hermanita for six years and is a senior at Steele Canyon High School. She will be attending Grossmont College and plans to major in Sociology. Eliane aspires to transfer to SDSU, join the ROTC Program, and eventually join the Airforce.
Her achievements include receiving the Golden Pyramid Award, being an honor roll recipient, and interning for the MAAC Project San Martin De Porres. Her extracurricular activities and volunteer focus include time at Red Cross club, Club Rise, and F.A.N.C.Y. She currently works for the County of San Diego with children. Elaine plans to attend graduate school and ultimately become a Social Worker. Hats off to the grad!
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Cindy Hernandez
Cindy Hernandez's Full Story
Cindy Hernandez has been an Hermanita for five years and aspires to support victims of domestic violence. She is a senior at Gompers Preparatory Academy. She will be attending CSU Dominguez Hills and plans to major in Women Studies. Her achievements include being an honor roll recipient and having an internship where she coded and built drones. Her extracurricular activities and volunteer focus include time at Sherman Heights Community Center, Joe Village food bank, and Adventure Club. She is the first in her family to graduate high school and attend college. Congratulations graduate!
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Abigail Laina Ramirez
Abigail Laina Ramirez's Full Story
Abigail Laina Ramirez has been an Hermanita for four years and aspires to be a fashion designer. She is a senior at Gompers Preparatory Academy, currently holding a 3.3 GPA. She has been accepted to two universities, including CSU Dominguez Hills and CSU Channel Islands. She will be attending Mesa College in the fall, where she will be majoring in Fashion. Her achievements include receiving the Golden Pyramid Award and being an honor roll recipient. Abigail is the first in her family to graduate high school and attend college. Congratulations graduate!
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Larisa Gutierrez
Larisa Gutierrez's Full Story
Larisa Gutierrez is a high achieving senior at San Diego High’s School of Science & Technology, graduating with a 3.9 GPA. She has been accepted into USD, SJSU, UCR, UCSC, CSULB, and SDSU. She will be attending San Diego State University in the fall, where she plans to major in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. Larisa is a first-generation student with plans to pursue a graduate degree and ultimately work in the forensic field.
Her achievements include holding an officer position within the Medical Academy and being captain of her CIF champion varsity basketball team. Larisa shared that she’s appreciative of the Hermanitas program for empowering her by providing her with a network of successful Latinas from different fields of work.
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Yaritza Gomez
Yaritza Gomez's Full Story
Yaritza Gomez is a high achieving senior at Sweetwater High School, currently holding a 3.96 GPA. She has been accepted to UC Riverside, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Los Angeles, and San Diego State University. She will be attending San Diego State University in the fall, where she plans to double major in Engineering and Economics.
Yaritza has been in the Hermanitas Program for four years and has also received the highest honors in CSF. Yaritza’s extracurricular activities include participating in Wahupa Upward Bound, Reality Changers, Avid, and Solar Young Women’s Academy. She has volunteered and interned at Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center for four consecutive years. She is a first generation student and plans to pursue a Master’s degree. Hats off to the grad!
Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon for inspiring Hermanitas like Yaritza!
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Sofia Perez Valles
Sofia Perez Valles's Full Story
Sofia Perez Valles has been an Hermanita for four years and aspires to attend law school. She is a senior at Olympian High School (OHS), currently holding a 4.2 GPA. Sofia’s family is overjoyed with her achievement of being accepted to 8 universities. She will be attending UCLA in the fall, where she will be majoring in Philosophy.
Her achievements include receiving the President’s Award from MANA’s Hermanitas Program, earning the prestigious Girl Scouts #Gold Award, and being an honor roll recipient for four consecutive years. Her extracurricular activities include participating in the OHS site council, being a girl scout for over 10 years, and being an assistant teacher/performer for the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet. Sofia’s also part of the Olympian Peer Mediation Program, where she works to make OHS a more inclusive community for students. Her volunteer work includes time at SHARP Hospital, I Love a Clean San Diego, WILDCOAST, and Earth Guardians. Sofia aspires to be a leader in the climate change movement and social justice movement. Her dream job is to be in a position that allows her to help bridge gaps between minorities and majorities and foster understanding between these groups.
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Gicel Abraham
Gicel Abraham's Full Story
Gicel Abraham is a first-generation student with plans to pursue a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and ultimately work for NASA. She is a high achieving senior at The Preuss School UCSD, currently holding a 4.2 GPA. She has been accepted to UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, CSU Chico, Cal Poly Pomona, SDSU, and Stevens Institute of Technology. Gicel will be attending UC Davis in the fall, where she will be majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
Gicel has been in the Hermanitas Program for four years and is also a part of Model United Nations (MUN), Triton Alliance, Access Youth Academy, and Robotics Club. Her volunteer work includes time at Father Joe’s Villages Hunger Project, Mt. Hope Community Garden, Japanese Friendship Garden, and Juvenile Hall. Her achievements include hosting the first annual Torrey and Triton MUN Conference, participating in the MITES summer program, and interning for UCSD’s Physics Department. In addition, she’s achieved a 4.0 GPA for the past six consecutive years and has had perfect attendance from Pre-K to 12th grade. Gicel aspires to create technologies that will help lead to new discoveries that will benefit humanity. Hats off to you Gicel, Congratulations!
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Britanny Espinosa-Arevalo
Britanny Espinosa-Arevalo's Full Story
Britanny Espinosa-Arevalo is a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School. She has been accepted to CSU San Bernardino, UC Merced, UC Riverside and USD. She will be attending the University of San Diego in the fall, where she will be majoring in Computer Science with a specialization in Cybersecurity. Britanny’s extracurricular activities include being an Hermanita for four years, participating in the Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI) program, and being a member of the National Honors Society. Her volunteer work includes time at BLCI as a tutor to elementary students. Britanny is a proud first gen student and hopes to set an example for her two younger sisters. Keep up your good work and continue to strive. Congratulations Britanny!
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Eliana Rodriguez Herrera
Eliana Rodriguez Herrera's Full Story
Eliana Rodriguez Herrera is a high achieving senior at Hilltop High School, currently holding a 4.39 GPA. She has been accepted to UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, and San Diego State University. Eliana will be attending UC San Diego in the fall, where she will be majoring in Structural Engineering with an emphasis in Aerospace Engineering. Eliana is a first-generation student with plans to pursue a graduate degree and ultimately work for NASA or SpaceX as an astronaut.
Eliana’s extracurricular activities include being an Hermanita for two years, participating in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, California Scholarship Federation, and the Information Technology Academy. She has also participated in Sweetwater Union High School District’s Teen Court and Enlace’s summer research internship program. Her achievements include being a recipient of the prestigious Girl Scouts Gold Award and the University of Rochester Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology. Your success is well deserved. Congrats Eliana!
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Denise Picazo
Denise Picazo's Full Story
Denise Picazo is a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School (CCHS). She has been accepted to Fresno State, CSU San Marcos, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Riverside, Saint Mary’s College of California, USD, and Point Loma Nazarene University. She will be attending the University of San Diego, where she will be majoring in Psychology with a focus in Law and Criminal Justice. Denise has been in the Hermanitas Program since seventh grade and is also President of the Interact Club at CCHS. She has organized several community service opportunities and has worked alongside teachers and staff to put together larger projects. Her volunteer work includes time at the Barrio Logan College Institute, where she has been tutoring third-graders since her freshman year. Denise is a proud daughter of immigrant parents and a first generation student with plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Psychology. She aspires to be a forensic psychologist and help support her parents when she is older. Amazing work, Denise!
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