A natural-born leader, Emanuel Pleitez was voted Senior Class President by his peers and VP of his community?s Key Club, where he and his fellow Key Club members performed all types of community services from providing baby-sitting for busy parents to picking up trash, planting trees and mentoring young kids.

Emanuel has lived in El Sereno, California all his life.  His mother came from Mexico a year before Emanuel was born. His Salvadoran father left the family shortly after Emanuel?s younger sister was born.  He is another exemplary youth raised by a single Hispanic mother.  Emanuel was captain of five varsity athletic teams:  Basketball, football, track, volleyball and cross-country.  Sports are a natural outlet for his leadership abilities. He has been recognized as most valuable player as well as most inspirational player due to his outstanding sporting and leadership skills.  By the end of his high school career, Emanuel earned a total of 19 varsity letters but his most enjoyable time comes as basketball coach at the Local Park & Recreation Center.  There he works with young kids teaching them the sport he loves most.

Although Emanuel?s outstanding academic and community work have been recognized, he says ?I enjoy all the recognition and support and I am very thankful.  Soon, it will be my turn to help out.  I owe a lot.?  Graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles, Emanuel was an All-State Cross-Country Runner, Most Inspirational and All-League Football Player, Woody?s Heisman Award State Finalist; All-League and Team MVP for Volleyball and Basketball and Schoolsports.com?s Scholar Athlete of the Week.

In the present, Emanuel attends Stanford University. He plans to major in Political Science and get a Masters in Education. After that, he will apply to Law School.

The summer of 2002, he worked on an expansion project for the Quest Scholars Program building partnerships with other summer high school enrichment programs across the nation. His present plans include focusing on his academics to get a good G.P.A. while helping out in the Latino community at Stanford and do whatever he could to be a role model for students from back home in East Los Angeles.