FACES is excited and grateful to announce that two of our South Alameda County students, Kevin Celedonio and Sofia Dominguez, received the 2023 Leslie Preston Memorial Scholarship from the Behavioral Health Collaborative of Alameda County. Kevin and Sofia were selected for their mental health advocacy efforts, resilience in the face of adversity, and their commitment to future careers in the behavioral health professions.
Leslie Preston was a staunch community advocate working in the field of mental and behavioral health who always brought mission to the forefront of every conversation. As Director of Behavioral Health at La Clinica de La Raza in Oakland, CA, Leslie was a partner in building a FACES program in the Fruitvale neighborhood; focused solely on supporting youth into community-based careers in behavioral health. Leslie was passionate about her work, her family and equity. She was the kind of person who drove those around her to want to be better, and she did this with compassion and heart. This scholarship is the Behavioral Health Collaborative of Alameda County’s way of remembering and honoring Leslie’s life and legacy.
We are so proud of Kevin and Sofia, and deeply grateful to the Behavioral Health Collaborative for their continued recognition of FACES students/alumni as we work in partnership to diversify the behavioral health workforce.
Pictured from top to bottom:
Jasmine Nakagawa (FACES Program Manager), Matthew Madaus (Executive Director, Behavioral Health Collaborative), Kevin Celedonio (scholarship recipient), Sofia Dominguez (scholarship recipient), Dayan Zakrzewski (FACES South Alameda County Program Coordinator), Nancy Facher (Director of Behavioral Health, La Clinica de La Raza), Jackie Penate (FACES AmeriCorps VISTA), Sabrina Park (FACES AmeriCorps VISTA)