Leslie was interviewed by local news

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Beaverton High senior overcomes challenges, receives $20K Beat the Odds scholarship

by Ray Pitz, Beaverton Valley Times - December 2nd 2025

Beaverton High School senior Leslie Almiralla Aguirre has been awarded one of eight 2025 Stand with Oregon Children Beat the Odds Scholarships, an award given to those students who have overcome challenges in their lives to excel academically and lead in their communities. (Courtesy photo by Stand with Children)

Leslie Almiralla Aguirre, a Beaverton High School senior, was recently awarded the 2025 Stand for Oregon Children Beat the Odds Scholarship, a $20,000 award that honors resilient students who have overcome significant challenges to excel academically and lead in their communities.

“Leslie’s journey is a testament to perseverance,” said a statement from Stand for Children Oregon. “Growing up in a household where her mother worked long hours and her father was absent, Leslie stepped up to care for her younger siblings and manage the household.”

Almiralla Aguirre was one of eight students recognized earlier this month during a luncheon at the Sentinel Hotel in Portland.

“When I found out I received the scholarship, I was literally jumping up and down with joy,” Almiralla Aguirre said. “I felt incredibly grateful and proud of myself, because my dream of building a better future was no longer just a dream.”

Although Almiralla Aguirre initially thought college was out of reach, that changed when she applied to the Health Careers Pathway program at Beaverton High School and pursued a career technical education program that was made possible by Oregon’s Measure 98, which provides $150 million each year for research-aligned programs for high schoolers.

Almiralla Aguirre’s BHS program allowed her to pursue her passion for nursing — her dream is to become a bilingual pediatric nurse — allowing her to get hands-on training and certification in Basic Life Support, a course that teaches emergency medical response skills.

This spring, Almiralla Aguirre plans to take a certified nurse assistant licensure exam, allowing her to provide basic patient care under the supervision of a registered or licensed practical nurse. In her scholarship application, Almiralla Aguirre credited her teacher, Kellie Rosenberger, with helping her along the way.

“She has always been there to guide me and check in on me,” she wrote. “She is more than a teacher, she’s my mentor, she’s my family.” Almiralla Aguirre added that if it hadn’t been for Rosenberger — and a college readiness program known as AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) — “I wouldn’t be here today.”

In a letter of recommendation, Megan Talamantes, a community mentor, praised Almiralla Aguirre for her leadership roles in after-school programs and soccer summer camps, saying she has watched her “pour herself into the lives of the upcoming generation, and give her time, energy, and strength into helping kids and youth.”