College : Fresno City College Career goal : Nurse

About Aileen : Aileen Navarrete is from a low-income family that often depended on food stamps , food giveaways and lived near a homeless encampment . She has seen first-hand the lack of medical and mental health support in her community . The need increased when COVID hit in 2020 . She was just a freshman , but Aileen decided she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare to help fill the valley ’ s need for more medical professionals .

One of Aileen ’ s best experiences in high school was participating in the biomedicine and biotechnology career labs at the Center for Advanced Research and Technology ( CART ), a half day program for Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified juniors and seniors . She also was busy with the folklorico club , which she and four classmates revived , recruiting teacher Gabriela Ibarra to be their adviser . The club flourished and was asked to perform at Fresno Unified ’ s Latinx graduation recognition event .

In Aileen ’ s words : “ Through these two pathways [ at CART ], I have not only been given the fundamentals I will need to pursue my medical career , but they have also helped me get past my barriers and shown me how to work in critical scenarios with others .”

From Gabriela Ibarra , a teacher at Edison High School : “ With quiet shyness , Aileen is a natural leader who takes action to bring positive change . Her devotion to her education , her community and her family are evident in her actions . She made folklorico dance a reality for many at Edison High School and was advocating to make a cultural dance class part of the FUSD curriculum .”

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