Spotlights
IHADLA Alumna Jazmyn Davis: “My Family and My Community Are My Main Motivators in Life”
Jazmyn Davis was born and raised in Inglewood, California and was in the first grade at Daniel Freeman Elementary School when IHADLA first became part of her life. As a first-generation college student, Jazmyn is proud to share that “I attended the #1 HBCU, Spelman College and recently completed my undergraduate degree majoring in Economics […]
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IHADLA Mentor Priyanka Kapoor: “Mentorship has given me so much in my life…”
Priyanka Kapoor first got involved with IHADLA in March of 2020, right before the onset of the pandemic, as a mentor to now 9th-grade Dreamer Scholar Melanie. Priyanka decided to become an IHADLA mentor because “mentorship has given me so much in my life, and it [IHADLA] seemed like the perfect organization to pay it […]
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Dreamer Alumna Daisy Barrios: “My IHADLA Mentor Helped Shape the Woman I Am Today”
Daisy Barrios was in the first grade at Murchison Elementary School, in Boyle Heights when IHADLA first sponsored Program 14 and became part of her life. Thanks to a newly formed partnership, she was one of two IHADLA students who qualified for a scholarship to attend high school at Southwestern Academy, a private, coeducational college […]
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Taylor Martinez: IHADLA Became Her Second Family
Taylor Martinez was in the second grade at Daniel Freeman Elementary School in Inglewood when she first joined IHADLA and became a Dreamer Scholar in 2009. Taylor was inspired and motivated to apply to college when she attended her own mother’s college graduation as a child. She is now a Junior at the University of […]
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Dreamer Scholar Andre’s Take on the Role of IHADLA in Shaping Future Leaders
Andre was born in South Los Angeles in the year 2000. He was a student at Daniel Freeman Elementary when “I Have A Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles (IHADLA) sponsored his 3rd-grade class (Program 16), and he became a Dreamer Scholar. Growing up, he says, “I had a hard time being myself. I always wanted […]
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Alumna Sandra Romero-Viguerias Acknowledges IHADLA for Transforming Her Life
Our students and alumni come from a diverse array of locations, backgrounds, and experiences. Alumna, Sandra Romero-Viguerias, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and moved east of Los Angeles just before her 1st-grade class at Franklin Elementary in Pasadena was sponsored by IHADLA as Program 15. When Sandra first joined our program, she couldn’t speak English […]
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Meet IHADLA Mentor Carla Sparks!
A large part of IHADLA’s comprehensive, whole child approach is providing Dreamer Scholars with positive and trustworthy adult role models, aside from their family members, and our Mentors make up a huge portion of this group. Our Mentor program includes volunteers from diverse personal, educational and career backgrounds who come together to expose Dreamer Scholars […]
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Denita Hartfield-Oyeka – Program 1
Since IHADLA’s inception, many students have passed through our program and have gone on to achieve a wide variety of educational, career, and personal accomplishments. For our first Alumni Spotlight piece, we are highlighting an exceptional member of our Program 1 class, launched in 1987. Denita Hartfield-Oyeka was in the 6th grade in 1986 when […]
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