Teshawn Leslie

Teshawn Leslie has changed not only my life as an educator and colleague, but the lives of our students. Our campus is an alternative campus for teenage moms or moms to be, ranging from ages 15-21. When I first started at this campus about 9 years ago, we were NOT a school with academic success or college driven students. Then into my third year at this campus as the principal, I had the privilege of hiring Ms. Teshawn Leslie who happened to have the requirements of becoming a dual credit teacher from our neighboring college. Being from Brazil and having a vast history of experiences, she is the ultimate picture of a Master Teacher in my opinion. She has taken this campus and has produced many graduates with college certificates in the field of Human Resources. Ms. Leslie is hard-working, flexible, committed and procures very personal relationships with her students that she becomes their biggest support system. I have had conversations with past students who tell me that if it wasn't for Mrs. Leslie they would not be where they are. Some go on to pursue an Associates and some even towards a Bachelors! It fills my heart and soul to know that one human being like her can have such a positive impact and she is strict with her students. She will not settle for less than your best and even then she challenges to be even better, to stand out and think "outside the box." Her students have achieved accolades beyond the classroom with Business Professionals of America, competing at the regional, state and national levels and her students have placed first, second or third which is such an accomplishment for our at-risk young mothers! When Ms. Leslie started, the campus culture became an early college environment in which students not only finished their high school but acquired college hours. I applied for the early college high school designation and maintained that distinction for about 5 years and just acquired the P-TECH (Pathways to Technology Early College High School) in the past two years. The students have struggled with everyday life's commitments such as rent, food, daycare, transportation and in some cases homelessness. Even so, Mrs. Leslie does not focus on those points but the POTENTIAL of what these students can do. She is a truly dedicated educator that she will also commit to evenings and weekends so students have the professor full-time in some cases. With her as our guide, we can accomplish much more because she is always thinking of students and women empowerment. She as a matter of fact has coordinated annual events of inspiring successful speakers that were also products of teenage moms or a teenage mom themselves. She has a way of getting influential people to support the goal of motivating and recognizing students. I will include an email that Ms. Leslie sent me just this week!

Rosa M. Rakay