Sunday, July 5, 2015 The Bakersfield Voice
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YOUR SCHOOLS
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Leslie Jaramillo started the school year in the beginning band program, and even though she is blind, she surpassed the requirements to move on to advanced band.
Disabled junior high band star shines BY GINA RASMUSSEN Community contributor
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he Beardsley School District has an exceptional music program. What makes it even more exceptional this year is one of its marching band members, seventh-grader Leslie Jaramillo, who plays the saxophone. Leslie started the school year in the beginning band program and surpassed the requirements to move on to advanced band. Leslie wanted to participate in the California Music Education Association (CMEA) competition and march with the band at Disneyland for the annual Performing Arts OnStage Program. She worked hard memorizing her music at home and practicing her marching skills every morning at 7:15 a.m. with the band. What makes Leslie Jaramillo exceptional is the fact she was able to play the saxophone and march, even though she is blind. Leslie attends the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Visually Impaired class on the Beardsley campus. However, you would never know
she is visually impaired from watching her maneuver the crowded hallways of the junior high for her mainstreamed classes in history, science, language arts, PE and band. Leslie and her twin brother were both born with disabilities. She is visually impaired and her twin brother has severe cerebral palsy (CP), which is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. Leslie excels at school, while helping her single mother care for her brother. One of her many responsibilities is to translate for her mother, who speaks only Spanish, at doctor’s appointments and meetings for her brother. Next school year, Leslie plans to try out for Kern County Honor Band and march with the band at all the fall competitions. She looks forward to walking across the stage next June with the other Beardsley Junior High eight-grade students at the graduation ceremony. Leslie is an amazing young lady who doesn’t let anything get in the way of her dreams.
Three local Latinas honored COURTESY OF LLKC atina Leaders of Kern County (LLKC) is proud to announce the names of the 2015 Latinas Leading the Way Honorees. They are Camila Chavez, executive director for the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF); Sylvia Picazo, office administrator for the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (KCHCC); and Lisa RoblesKent, executive secretary of the Bakersfield College (BC) Foundation. The women were selected for their exceptional professionalism, achievements and commitment to our community. They will be honored during a semi-formal awards banquet on Saturday, July 11, at Bakersfield Country Club. Chavez is the co-founder and executive director of DHF where she oversees training for low-income community members in the areas of leadership and organizing skills specific to civic and electoral participation. She believes that it is our responsiChavez bility to take advantage of every opportunity to develop leadership in ourselves and our communities by building consensus around a common set of principles, values and priorities. Chavez is a graduate of Mills College in Oakland. Picazo is the office administrator for KCHCC where she works to promote Hispanic and minorityowned businesses in Kern Picazo
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County and those that cater to or employ Hispanics in our community. She states that she believes in giving the best of herself to her community, something that she instills in her children so they can become self-sufficient, hardworking and honest individuals who will help make our community a better place. Picazo is a graduate of Bakersfield College. Robles-Kent is the executive secretary of the Bakersfield College Foundation where she is passionate about providing opportunities to the underrepresented youth in our community. She serves as an advocate for LLKC on the BC campus. Her goal is to introduce and expose the Robles-Kent youth to new things including a broader thought process, the tools for success and what it takes to achieve their future goals. Robles-Kent is a graduate of California State University, Bakersfield. “We are excited to honor these three outstanding women who give their all to help develop Latinas in our community,” said Norma Rojas-Mora, LLKC president. “It is the mission of LLKC to foster leadership, identify and develop opportunities for Latinas, and to influence key issues affecting our community. We believe these three individuals exemplify this, and we are looking forward to highlighting their achievements at this year’s awards banquet.” The LLKC Latinas Leading the Way awards banquet is presented by Bright House Networks, with additional support from Kern Federal Credit Union. LLKC 2014-2015 programs are proudly sponsored by Wells Fargo. For sponsorship opportunities and event tickets, visit www.kernlatinas.org.