President’s Award for Excellence in Leadership

Jaileessa Casimir, an LCU Scholar at the CUNY Medical School knew at an early age that she wanted to care for and be of service to
community. Throughout her education, she has embraced a variety of projects aimed at highlighting and addressing inequities in health
care, health care leadership and medical education. 

She helped to establish a NAACP Chapter at City College and provided guidance to high school students from under-resourced backgrounds
on applying for college. She also worked as a tutor in the Learning Resource Center and joined the Beyond Flexner Alliance, now Social
Mission Alliance (SMA), a national organization focused on health equity. Jaileessa was recently named an SMA Institute Associate and
worked closely with the Project Director of the Health Justice Fellowship for which she has taken part in national panels. At the
same time, Jaileessa began working with a youth-led organization, Strategy for Black Lives, and became the youth engagement director
for the group.

Massooma Amin is an LCU Scholar pursuing a master’s degree at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College. As
an Afghan woman, Massoma endured an arduous process to obtain documentation under Taliban rule before arriving at the school in the
fall of 2023 where she was quick to form relationships with advisors and peers. Massooma says, “Hope and resilience have driven me to pursue my dreams, even in the direst circumstances. My journey in education and
leadership has been shaped by both personal and societal challenges. As an Afghan woman, I have endured the profound pain of systemic gender inequality. I understood that education is key to freedom and meaningful change. My path to education and making an impact has been marked by obstacles such as gender stereotypes, discrimination, conflict, and the collapse of my home country. Despite these challenges, I have never wavered in my belief in the transformative power of education.”

Stephanie Rosas is a clinical student pursuing a graduate degree in Social Work at Columbia University’s School of Social Work where she
has worked with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office and the Latin X caucus.

As a first-generation Mexican American, Stephanie grew up hearing my immigrant mother say, “Mi madre me dijo que tengo que hacerlo mejor que ella, y ahora estoy aquí diciéndote, hija mía, que tienes que hacerlo mejor que yo.” Which translates to “My mother told me I have to do better than her, and now I am here telling you, my daughter, you have to do better than me." After high school she enrolled in East Los Angeles Community College
but had to drop out to help her mother financially. Despite this setback, her passion for learning never waned and she went on to
obtain a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Riverside. Now pursuing a master’s degree in social work at
Columbia’s School of Social Work, she is part of the leadership team for the Hispanic Caucus on campus, where she organizes events,
fosters community engagement, and helps bring Hispanic students together. Stephanie writes, “Social work, for me, is the ultimate act of service. My goal is to improve the well-being of those who struggle to access help or are enrolled in ineffective programs. My degree will allow me to become the social worker I aspire to be—one who can make meaningful, lasting change.” After gaining experience as a social
worker, she plans to attend law school to become a family mediator.