May 13, 2023 -- Equitas would like to highlight Leslie Juarez (Class of 2027) for her hard work throughout high school. Leslie will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall and is the recipient of the "2023 Gayle Miller Leaders of Change Scholar" award, a 4-year scholarship from the Alliance Foundation. 

Leslie wrote in her scholarship application, “Aproveche sus estudios, porque yo nunca tuve estas oportunidades.” “This was the phrase I would always hear from my mom, translating to ‘Take advantage of your education because I’ve never had these opportunities”. At Alliance Ted K. Tajima, Leslie used the phrase to propel her to academic excellence and into leadership roles like ASB Vice President and Chief Editor of “Tajima TV.” After participating in a life-changing summer internship that further fueled her love for filmmaking, she has decided to pursue it as a career.