Jesus Ledezma, a member of the FAAZ Young Adult Leadership Board, has been awarded the Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholarship, an award for youth who have experienced foster care and others who face barriers to education. With the assistance provided by the scholarship, Jesus will be attending Arizona State University this fall.

Jesus is passionate about helping others, especially in the area of healthcare. He reflected on the many people who were part of his “team” who helped him get to this point.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people who supported me; family, friends, and programs,” Jesus shared.

In addition to pursuing a career in healthcare compliance, Jesus is also enrolling in the Barrett Honors College.

Jesus has worked very hard to become a Nina Scholar. He shared that prior to high school he “hated math, hated pretty much every bit of school.” During his freshman year, he felt motivated to work towards a better life and raised his grades and became very involved in school. He started tutoring other students, even in math, which he found he didn’t hate so much once he did well. He worked on his school’s yearbook and was their Editor in Chief his senior year. Jesus also started his school’s chess club and was inducted into the National Honor’s Society.

For Jesus, these scholarships represent all the hard work as well as his future. “It feels like I’m getting there, slowly getting to the point where I can be successful,” he stated. He views this scholarship as a stepping stone for the future.

Jesus’s advice for other youth who are eager to earn scholarships is to trust the people who are there for you, whether it be friends, family or programs. Most importantly, he said, “don’t screw up your ninth grade year.”