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Salvadoran American Leadership & Educational Fund

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1 SALEF 16th Annual Awards & Scholarship BanquetDate: Friday, October 21, 2011Location: Marriott Los Angeles DowntownDescription: The purpose of the Awards and Scholarship Banquet is to raise funds for SALEF's most needed programs as well as to honor local distinguished leaders, and to celebrate the future of SALEFs Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship recipients
2 SALEF 12th Annual Educate Youth & Parent ConferenceDate: TBDLocation: UCLA Westwood, CaliforniaDescription: The conference is a FREE event open to all high school students and parents. Contact Us. Every year, over 500 high schools students and parents spend a day at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus; making it the first time they visit a university campus for many. SALEF's Annual ¡Educate! Youth Conference offers Youth and parents the opportunity to engage in discussions about the issues affecting their education such as access to quality education, A-G courses, and financial aid.
3 SALEF's 31st Monseñor Romero CelebrationDate: Wed. March 30, 2011Location: Los Angles City Hall 200 North Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Description: Each year, SALEF, in cooperation with Los Angeles San Salvador Sister City Organization, Clinica Monseñor Oscar Romero, Monseñor Oscar Romero Charter School, and the City of Los Angeles commemorates the life and legacy of Monseñor Oscar Romero. Considered by many to be among the greatest leaders of civil rights. Monseñor Romero is an icon in the Salvadoran community.
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Our MissionSuccess StoriesSALEF’s mission is to promote the civic participation and representation of the Salvadoran and other Latino communities in the U.S., promote the economic development and democracy in El Salvador, as well as to advocate for its economic, educational, and political advancement and growth.SALEF promotes giving back to our communities, thus scholarship recipients are expected to complete community service hours and receipt of the scholarship award is dependent on completion of their pledge.In keeping with this mission, SALEF established the “Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship Fund”, which awards scholarships to Salvadoran, Central American, and other Latino college students. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000, and are awarded annually. Fermin Vasquez

Fermin Vasquez

SALEF Scholarship Alumni 2006Born in El Salvador, Fermin Vasquez migrated to the United States when he was in middle school. He recently graduated from California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He became a SALEF Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship Recipient in 2006 and later worked as a youth program coordinator.Fermin is the son of Salvadoran parents who always wanted the best for him. His transition to the United States proved to be more challenging as a result of not knowing the language. He adapted quickly and graduated from Belmont High School with a 3.96 Grade Point Average. Although hefaced many challenges, Fermin is dedicated to help low income and underrepresented students achieve higher education. He believes if he did it, anyone can. His passion for community organizing is illustrated with his involvement in different grassroots organizations and programs such as: Mentor for the Catholics Big Brother Big Sisters, Intern for the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund, Core member of WISE UP, the youth component of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles as well as being part of differentsocial awareness marches. Fermins ardor for justice motivated him to go to Sacramento and Washington D.C to lobby for comprehensive immigration reform. Having experienced the lived challenges of being an AB540 student further stimulated his desire to become an active DREAMAct advocate.Fermin wishes to initiate his own non-profit organization to provide pro bono services to the most needed communities. His goal is not to be better than others but to be better than he used to be.
Jennifer Lopez

Jeniffer Lopez

UCLA, Freshman - Undeclared"SALEF has given me a chance to stand up for the immigrant community and AB540 studentes, a cause that I hold close to my heart and am willing to continue advocating for."Jennifer Lopez migrated from Santa Ana, El Salvador when she was nine years old. She reunited with her mother, a single parent, and settled in the Pico Union community near downtown Los Angeles. Jennifer quickly realized the harsh realities of being poor and undocumented. However, her experiences as an immigrant fueled her work with the immigrant student community in Los Angeles. Her natural leadership talent led her to mobilize student groups and work with community organizations to raise awareness about the challenges faced by undocumentedstudents pursuing higher education.Jennifer joined SALEFs Leadership Involvement and Development through Empowerment and Representation Program (LIDER), where she honed her leadership skills. Soon thereafter,Jennifer became an intern at SALEF and later became a mentee under the Mi Futuro Mentoring Program: Pico Union. SALEF not only showed me that it was possible, they also guided me through the process of actually achieving my dream by helping me with personal statements, letters of recommendation and exposing me to endless resources, comments Jennifer.Jennifer Lopez is currently attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she plans on majoring in Business Economics. She is an AB540 student and is part of the Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship 2010 cohort.
Gladis Molina

Gladis Molina

SALEF Scholarship Alumni '05Gladis Molina graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006 with her Juris Doctor degree. She became a SALEF Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship Recipient in 2005 and has since been actively involved with the organization in various ways.Gladis was born in a small, rural town in El Salvador; her family relocated to California in 1990 to escape the violence as a result of the Civil War. Today Gladis is a Pro Bono Coordinator for the Los Angeles for Kinds in Need of Defense (KIND) where she primarily focuses on immigrant children services. Gladis has worked with numerous organizations, representing detained children along the U.S. Mexican border and their families. Such organizations include the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) in Los Angeles, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), amongothers.In early 2010, she was recognized by the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County via the Guardian de Justicia award for her exceptional work with unaccompanied immigrant children. Gladis currently chairs the Associacion de Professionales y Estudiantes Salvadoreno Americanos(APESA) in Los Angeles. APESA, which is a SALEF membership organization, promotes leadership and career development, fundraises for the Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship and funds school supplies to adopted schools in El Salvador.Currently, she resides in Los Angeles and enjoys playing soccer, practicing her Italian and travelling.

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Fermin Vasquez

Jennifer Lopez

Gladis Molina

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