Teach For America Alumna Vanessa Lugo-Acevedo Receives Presidential Honor
President Obama and the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics recognized Teach For America alumna Vanessa Lugo-Acevedo (Colorado Corps ’10) and 9 others as White House Champions of Change Latino Educators. The 10 honorees attended a special ceremony at the White House on Friday, August 31st. The White House Champions of Change program honors everyday Americans doing extraordinary things in their communities.Lugo-Acevedo, whose parents emigrated from Mexico to Carpinteria in Southern California before she was born, is a 2010 graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles and the first in her family to attend college. As a Teach For America-Colorado corps member, she taught pre-kindergarten at Denver’s Cole Arts and Sciences Academy, where she continues
to teach today.
“I believe the Champions of Change honor can open doors for Latino youth in our nation and motivate them to