Juliana Santiago, a 2021 Pedrozzi Scholar, is keeping very busy as a student at Las Positas Community College, a softball coach, and as an intern for the City of Livermore. Juliana shares with us her feelings about the importance of community involvement, both how it has shaped her, and how she hopes to give back to her own community. She shared an update with the Pedrozzi Foundation:
Last year, I was a senior at Granada High School, overwhelmed by the pressure I felt to attend a four year university right after graduation. Like a typical eighteen year old, I was unsure of what I wanted to study and how I would manage university tuition. The Pedrozzi Foundation encouraged and supported my decision to attend Las Positas Community College. Thanks to this organization, I have the ability to focus on my education without any worry of student debt. Las Positas has given me the opportunity to discover my passions through classes and a surplus of opportunities, including my current internship. I work as the Department Assistant for the Livermore City Manager’s Office. I collaborate with elected officials, evaluate current city policies, and serve as a connection to city residents through external events and communications. This experience revealed my passion for community involvement, creating, and writing. In addition, it fueled my desire to study Law and Communications to one day give back to the individuals who have supported me. Outside of City Hall, I am an assistant coach for theMavericks Fastpitch organization based in Livermore. They have allowed me to continue living out my life long love for softball while instilling values of confidence, leadership, and teamwork within each player which they taught me many years ago.
I have been a part of the Livermore community my whole life. It has served me in every possible way, whether that’s creating a loving environment, providing an excellent education, surrounding me with incredible people or giving me the courage that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. The City, the Pedrozzi Foundation, and Las Positas College have graciously allowed me to give back to the community that has molded me into the young woman I am today. I am now heading into my second year of community college where I will apply to my future college campus. I am very excited to see what the future holds!
