Written by: Emily Castro

Los Angeles, CA – Stephanie Trabanino was the 2005 Silver Medallion recipient for Community Service for the Hispanic Heritage Youth Award in the Los Angeles region, where she was able to take this award with her as she obtained a B.A in Political Studies and a minor in Public Affairs from the University of California, Los Angeles. Stephanie was the first person in her family to graduate from college and she went even further by obtaining a Masters of Public Policy (M.P.P) from University of California, Los Angles in 2011. She is currently attending law school at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, CA.

Continuing her role as the 2005 Silver Medallion recipient for Community Service, Stephanie interned for the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD), a non-profit that is dedicated to reducing gang-related violence in Los Angeles. In addition, Stephanie has also interned in the Recreation Office for the City of South Pasadena’s Community Services Departments, where she has organized major events around animal adoption.

Stephanie was able to use the grant obtained via the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards towards funding her education at UCLA, and this foundation has helped her to realize her passion with community service. Examples of her involvement can be seen through her volunteering efforts at Proyecto de Jornaleros, where she tutored undocumented day labors in English in order to help them prepare for the formal job market. In addition, since the Hispanic Heritage Award inspired her to become more involved with her community, she was able to find her career path in public interest law. Stephanie leads an exciting summer where she will be interning for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, where she will be able to serve the Hispanic community regarding issues of family and immigration law.

Stephanie recently completed her first year of law school and was ranked in the top 20% of her class, and received a Brief Winter Finalist Award.

Stephanie believes it is important to seek a mentor, for their expertise will build a network of support that will help guide you throughout your career path. “It is important to follow your passion and pursue a career that will be personally fulfilling”. For mentorships, internships, scholarships, and fellowships make sure you sign up to the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s award winning LOFT Network.

Find Stephanie Trabanino on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-trabanino-b9630b16