Leanny is a dedicated 2nd-year MLK and CSTEP Scholar pursuing a degree in Strategic Leadership. She was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up with love for her culture, her language, and her people, which play a big role in who she is today. Growing up in the DR taught her the value of community, resilience, and speaking up for justice. Moving to the US taught her the value of education, opportunity, and speaking up for fairness, while pushing her to dream bigger and to use every opportunity to give back to others.
Her commitment to service and leadership is demonstrated through her involvement in professional, in-campus, and out-of-campus activities. She is part of the Women’s Track & Field team as a thrower, and finds strength and fellowship in her involvement with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and IC Lighthouse Fellowship. Her passion for direct service is embodied in her recent commitment to the Big Brother, Big Sister Program as part of her community service project, by showcasing a personal investment in mentorship and youth support.
Leanny cares deeply about leadership, social justice, and global issues. She is particularly interested in how countries collaborate, how communities are impacted by global issues, and how policies and advocacy can bring about meaningful change for those who need it most. She hopes to use her education to help find a solution to problems surrounding issues within the topics of human rights, community development, and access to opportunity. She hopes to enter the diplomacy and foreign/international relations field in the future.
Being an MLK Scholar means having the opportunity to be the voice of change that many weren’t able to have. It allows me to dream big and be a world-changer in the making, things that I know many don’t have the privilege of. It’s very meaningful to me because, as a first-gen student coming from an immigrant household, many times, some dreams and goals feel unreachable, and being an MLK Scholar gives me the confidence that nothing can be unreachable when there are so many supports and resources offered within and even out of the program in the Ithaca College community.