Meet Leslie!

We are so excited to introduce the newest member of the Youthentity team, Leslie Padilla! Leslie will manage our new High Five Your Life program, which aims to help high school students to understand their options and map out educational and career goals; she is also a Youthentity alumnus, and currently attends Colorado Mountain College. Read on to find out more about Leslie and her role at YE:

I grew up in the valley after moving here over 12 years ago and graduated from Glenwood Springs High School. During my junior year of high school, I became involved with Youthentity when I joined the culinary arts program which I participated in for two years as a member of the ProStart competition business team. 

I am currently studying at Colorado Mountain College with the goal of getting my bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in finance. I also received an associate degree in business at CMC this past spring. 

My position with Youthentity is officially titled Latino Community Programs Manager, and my primary focus is the launch of the High Five Your Life program. Through High Five I hope to help students who may feel overwhelmed by the future or feel like they do not have the tools to navigate post-high school life - I believe that is where the program’s biggest benefit lies. One of my hopes for High Five is that those who participate in the program can leave with a better understanding - and hopefully, a vision - of their future, and have a clearly mapped path to meet their goals.

Right now, there is a gap in helping students prepare for the future because school resources are often already overwhelmed; through High Five, we can help those that may not be getting the help they need from the school system. On top of that, those in the Hispanic community may face additional barriers and challenges - particularly not having access to Spanish-language resources. I also hope that High Five can help the parents of our students to understand the education and career options that exist for their kids so that they can be a bigger support through these very big decisions that can affect their children’s entire lives. 

When I’m not busy facilitating the High Five Your Life program, I love to bake and read. I also like hiking in the summer and fall, which is such a great way to see this beautiful state. 

Welcome, Leslie!