2021 Alexx Flores Opportunity Scholars

Jaden Oquendo

Jaden is currently a student from La Puente High School, who will be attending the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) this Fall to study Business Communications. He comes from a 5 person, single-parent, Salvadorean household where his mother and three sisters serve as his motivation to continue pushing forward and to continue breaking the generational cycles that have been placed on his family. Jaden's biggest fear in ending high school, was not being able to afford higher education, but graciously here at the Alejandro Flores Foundation, we were able to help him begin his next chapter stress-free. His journey in high school may be coming to a near end, but his impact on this world has just begun.

Jacqueline Bravo

Jacqueline graduated from high school in 2019 and is currently attending Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Her favorite activities include binge watching shows on Netflix and going on morning runs. Education has always been a priority for her even though financial obstacles have gotten in her way. However, she pushed through these obstacles and has continuously been a full time student while working part time jobs in order to support herself. She has been accepted to UCLA this fall where she plans to major in Psychobiology. Once she graduates from university she hopes to go on to graduate school and work in the healthcare field as a PA.

Ivan Acevedo

Ivan is set to graduate from Hawthorne High School. He was born in the heart of the crime-ridden, poverty-laden South Central and lives with his extended family. Described as a “Renaissance man” by those close to him, Ivan used knowledge and an overall love for learning to combat the demoralizing effects of his situation. Nevertheless, the prospect of university seemed more like a fantasy than a tangible reality because of his financial issues and mild autism. In spite of these challenges, Ivan nevertheless thrusted himself upon his studies and ancillary volunteer experiences orbiting his passions to assist those in his shoes. He is currently enrolled this fall for the University of California, Berkeley and seeks to double major in not only philosophy and comparative literature but also minor in economics before eventually pursuing a legal career.

Xicotencatl Reyes

Xicotencatl is graduating from Pioneer High School and will be attending UCSD in the Fall. He is passionate about music and tutoring in his community. He is the son of a single unemployed, immigrant mother. He plans to receive a masters degree in computer science.

Alina Klepikova

My name is Alina Klepikova. I am proudly graduating from Los Angeles City College in the Summer of 2021. I have chronic PTSD and I am an OSS student. At fourteen years old, my mother and I had to leave my home country - Russia, due to the dangerous political situation. Being a refugee in the United States is hard as even basic comfortable life is barely affordable. It is a lot of stress with already existing struggles of adaptation; however, creating art and writing helps me keep going. I love making pottery and painting with watercolors. After LACC, I will be transferring to UC Santa Cruz to double-major in political science and psychology. During the next school year, I plan to keep up and improve my academic performance. In addition, I started focusing more on my physical health and strive to exercise more.

Sadith Price

Sadith graduated from Downey High School and is currently studying Public Affairs at UCLA. She is a prominent member of her theatre troupe and plans to continue pursuing this hobby throughout her time at UCLA. Coming from a single parent household, theatre became her outlet and second home after school. Sadith plans to continue to give back to her community, and hopes to join the political world where she can positively impact the lives of other low- income students

Mireya Vargas

Mireya is graduating from Hawthorne High School and attending University of California, Berkeley in the fall of 2021. She is from Hawthorne, California and is a multi-sport athlete playing softball, volleyball and soccer at varsity level through high school. She also devotes her time to community service and Key Club. Along with being the president of Volleyball Club and captain of the softball team this year. She is proud to say she has led her current softball team to win Ocean League Champions and they are now going into CIF playoffs. She has always challenged herself academically and strives to be the best she can regardless of personal and family obstacles that have set her back. As she continues her journey into college she plans to double major in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Mathematics and a minor in a foreign language. She also plans to try out for the Cal Golden Bears softball team and hopes to continue playing softball in college.

Yesenia Garcia

Yesenia is transferring from Los Angeles City College to UC Davis. She will be pursuing a degree in Ecological Management and Conservation with a minor in French. Yesenia is also a UC Master Gardener and enjoys working with the community to extend research-based knowledge of gardening. She is the eldest of three sisters and is the first to go to college. College has been a constant financial stress due to being a low-income, first generation immigrant. In the future, Yesenia hopes to work in conservation to restore the depleted soil of the Great Plains.

Casandra Martinez

Casandra graduated from Downey High School and will be attending UC Davis in the Fall of 2021. After being abandoned by her parents, she was placed in a household with her two aunts. With a stable environment she was able to preserve and finally focus on developing herself. She became captain of her high school tennis team, she made a short documentary film, and has competed in robotics competitions against teams from across the globe. Through her passion to help others, she was able to co-design a company program that creates summer internships for high school juniors in need of their first working experience. Always eager to learn, she plans to proceed with her education studying environmental engineering, in hopes of bettering the world around her one step at a time.

Julie Ouk

Julie graduated from Lakewood High School and is currently a student at Long Beach Community College, where she has maintained a spot on her School’s Dean’s List all two years. She was admitted to CSULB this fall as a President’s Scholar and Rotary Scholar. While being part of their University Honors Program, she will major in Finance and minor in Education. She hopes to go into school funding to focus on students, creating an environment where their needs are satisfied. One of her main goals is to someday implement mentoring programs in schools. Currently, she works for the Long Beach Unified School District as a College Student Aide. In the summer, she will be interning with Chobani on their Sales and Retail Execution team.

Mario Vasquez

Mario graduated from Miguel Contreras Learning Complex and is currently attending Los Angeles City College. At the age of 17, Mario immigrated from El Salvador escaping from violence and in search for a better life. At the time of his arrival, Mario had no interest in continuing school and wanted to dedicate to work in order to pay rent and support his family. However, he eventually stayed and finished high school, defeating the language barriers while working part time jobs to sustain himself and his family. Despite the fatigue of his busy life, Mario decided to give higher education a shot. He enrolled in community college where things began to look brighter for him. Due to the efforts and hard work Mario put into his studies, good grades came to fruition. Mario got accepted to California State University, Northridge where he plans to pursue a degree in kinesiology and physical education. Mario aspires to have academic excellence and to learn about the many paths within his major since he enjoys sports and wants to look for ways to approach his community through sports and physical activity