Leslie Morales, a senior undergraduate student majoring in Psychology, is a 2016 recipient of the University Award for the Advancement of Women.
The University Award for the Advancement of Women was created in 2006 to honor individuals who have mentored or supported women on campus, elevated the status of women or improved campus policies for them, promoted women’s recruitment and retention, or promoted professional development for women.
Leslie is a first-generation college student who participated during high school in the Scholars’ Latino Initiative, a Tar Heel program designed to help students and families navigate the educational system and pursue higher education. At Carolina, she joined SLI as a mentor and college prep academic coordinator, and she is now co-director of the program. Through her SLI connections, Morales learned about a medical internship at The Family Doctor, a local medical practice that helped spark her interest in the career of nursing. She now works at the practice as a medical assistant and is also a research assistant at the School of Nursing. Leslie aspires to go to the nursing school and learn how to educate the community, more specifically the Latino community, about how to improve their health and well-being. When she is not busy giving vaccines or working for SLI, Morales may be found volunteering for the Compass Center for Women and Families, translating documents into Spanish for clients.
Leslie was honored at a ceremony at the Campus Y on March 4, 2016.