9. Perla Padilla Fuentes
Sponsor District: 5340
Host Club: Toowong, District 9600
Perla Padilla was born and raised in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. At the age of 20, she immigrated to the United States.
She graduated from the University of California San Diego with majors in Psychology and Latin American Studies. She has done research in motivation, learning, political conflict and health through different academic fellowships such as McNair and Mental Health International Research Training and honours programs.
Her field of work is advocacy and direct care of youth at risk. She has work with unaccompanied undocumented immigrant children, low income youth, and homeless pregnant and parenting young women. While working with unaccompanied children, she reunified more than one hundred children with their families in the U.S. She was able to motivate changes in documentation processes within the Honduran consulates to accelerate reunification of minors with their families.
Working with low income and homeless pregnant and parenting youth, she has helped to reduce the obstacles facing youth who seek education and self-sufficiency. Perla’s goal is to continue advocating for at-risk youth to access education and work opportunities.