ESA Foundation Scholarship Winner Spotlight: Taylor Peneda

Taylor Peneda, a remarkable young woman who is a multi-Scholarship winner, spoke to the members at the Annual Meeting in Phoenix and we were all taken in by her sincerity, passion, and her ability to share her story.

Taylor graduated from Arizona State’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College with a MA in Educational Policy.  Taylor also holds a Bachelors degree in Communications with a minor in Media Analysis and Political Science from ASU.

Exposure to needs in her community helped to shape Taylor’s inclusive understanding of people and motivated her to be a part of advocating for people’s rights.  As a young high school student, Taylor took on her first leadership role in the Chandler coalition for Civil and Human Rights.

Taylor would go on to have an array of experiences in her time studying at ASU.  Initially, Taylor was a journalist where she contributed to highlighting the accomplishments of community leaders.  As her education progressed she began working at the School of Transborder Studies where she would later work on research for the Ford Foundation.

Later in her academic career, Taylor worked with her peers to re-establish the Latinos students’ collation.  Simultaneously, Taylor took on other leadership roles through her Executive Board experience in the Hispanic Business Students Association.

Through these leadership roles, Taylor continued to serve her community by volunteering for the Si Se Puede Foundation on the Board of Directors, the Victoria Foundation as a community volunteer and multiple events through the city of Chandler.

In 2016, Taylor was recognized as Chandler-Gilbert Community College Partner of the Year for her efforts in facilitating a college-readiness program for Chandler High School students.

Now, as a young professional, Taylor is working for a non-profit where she uses her research and strategic planning skills to improve the quality of programming for them.

As you can plainly see, Taylor is an extraordinary young woman who aspires to run for the local school board where she will continue to advocate for equitable educational policies.
What helped her along her pathway, you ask? 

In the 2016 and 2017 scholarship years, Taylor was awarded 8 ESAF scholarships totaling $5900!
Taylor spoke, with love, of her grandfather, a man of determination and hard work ethic, who instilled in her the dream and the will to achieve it.  There is a continuing need and the positive influence of scholarship opportunities for today’s youth.  She spoke of how it had helped and encouraged her to proceed with her dreams.

Looking for scholarships to help fund higher education. Browse ESA foundation scholarships and apply!
 
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Posted: 9/26/2018 3:00:22 PM by Kristin Hall | with 0 comments


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