FACES June 2024
College: Fresno City College
Career goal: Nurse
About Aileen: Aileen Navarrete is from a low-income family that lived near a homeless encampment, often depending on food stamps and food giveaways. She has seen firsthand the lack of medical and mental health support in her community. The need increased when COVID-19 hit in 2020. She was just a freshman, but Aileen decided she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare to help fill the valley’s need for more medical professionals.
One of Aileen’s best experiences in high school was participating in the biomedicine and biotechnology career labs at the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART), a half-day program for Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified juniors and seniors. She also was busy with the folklorico club, which she and four classmates revived, recruiting teacher Gabriela Ibarra to be their adviser. The club flourished and was asked to perform at Fresno Unified’s Latinx graduation recognition event.
In Aileen’s words: “Through these two pathways [at CART], I have not only been given the fundamentals I will need to pursue my medical career, but they have also helped me get past my barriers and shown me how to work in critical scenarios with others.”
“With quiet shyness, Aileen is a natural leader who takes action to bring positive change. Her devotion to her education, her community, and her family are evident in her actions. She made folklorico dance a reality for many at Edison High School and was advocating to make a cultural dance class part of the FUSD curriculum.”
– Gabriela Ibarra, a teacher at Edison High School
