Scholar Performance
Tessa was featured with her chamber group on the national radio program 'From the Top'.
Milagros Aledo
"My heart's commitment is to be a public servant and empower children, families and communities."
- Alumni of: 2004 Graduate Scholarship Program
- Hometown: Tampa, FL
- Four-year College or University: Salem College
- Graduate School: Harvard University
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Public Interest Advocate
- Other Interests: Drama
Biography
Milagros C. Aledo, 25, excelled academically at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC; served in AmeriCorps; and obtain coveted internships with members of Congress. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she moved constantly during her childhood, spending only a few months at different elementary schools. Yet she won a four-year, full-tuition undergraduate scholarship. Milagros, also known as "Mimi," compiled a 3.91 GPA, served as president of the student government, and graduated summa cum laude. She will attend Harvard's Kennedy School of Government for a master in public policy degree.
Ms. Aledo achieved incredible success after starting her life as the daughter of immigrants who moved constantly along the Atlantic Coast, without any real place to call home, moving from one school to another. She recalls "gray fears and brown instabilities" in childhood, partly because she could not speak English. "No one at school had faith in my abilities, and I made the mistake of believing them," she wrote. But life got better in seventh grade when a teaching intern helped "Mimi" believe in herself, and that made all the difference.
She did well in high school and won a competitive four-year scholarship to Salem College, intending to become a doctor, but discovered a passion for economics. During an internship at a medical clinic in Honduras, she realized that getting clean drinking water was more important to the villagers' health than treating disease caused by the lack of it.
Salem College also shaped her attitude. "I learned to be courageous, to fight for my beliefs and to serve others," she recalls. Milagros also set the pace in academics, graduating summa cum laude with the highest GPA and winning election to Mortar Board, a national senior honor society. One of her college mentors said that she has worked hard for everything she has and held her head high in an environment where many students are much more economically privileged.
After graduation, Ms. Aledo won an internship with a New York City Congresswoman, then worked for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and did research for the Federal Reserve Board. Learning about social issues in Washington, however, was not sufficient for her.
Ms. Aledo volunteered for AmeriCorps in Colorado, counseling and tutoring a group of fifth-grade children considered at risk to fail. She saw the program's funds cut by 30 per cent and realized that health care, education, and transportation systems ill-served the working poor and immigrant communities. She is dedicated to a public-service career, advocating on behalf of those who often work hardest and have the least. "Seeing the injustices and fears behind the faces and stories of the people I serve makes me, now more than ever, want to have a seat at the decision-making table," she writes. "I will always strive to use my gifts and talents to empower others."
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