The young women at Loretto Academy are encouraged to find their wings and excellence in their craft—recognizing their contributions is what inspires others alike.
Lesley Castillo has shown her ability of creativity to fill the hearts of patients at The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus this Thanksgiving season.
Her background
Lesley has been attending Loretto Academy since Pre-Kindergarten 3, the sisterhood and values shaping her kind leadership skills.
Lesley said, “I have been going to Loretto Academy ever since I can remember.
The school has helped me open up and find my passion for helping others, allowing me to express myself and open up to others because of how safe the environment feels.
Without the safe and loving environment that Loretto provides, I would not have the confidence and strength that I do today.”
Furthermore, the extracurricular activities offered at the school foster a place where students can express their passions and meet others alike.
Currently as a sophomore, she is a well-rounded student as she is a member of the French Honor Society, the volleyball team, and volunteers at the local hospital and nursing home.
She said, “I have been doing volleyball since fourth grade and am in my third year of club volleyball.
I love it so much and hope to continue throughout my next years of high school.”
Her impact on the community
Lesley Castillo’s passion is helping people because she enjoys the dedication she puts in her work and will continue to do so for as long as possible.
With this goal in mind, Lesley joined the volunteering program at The Hospital of Providence where she created connections with doctors, nurses, and especially her coordinator who helped make her Thanksgiving dream come true.
Over that summer, Lesley was able to accumulate over 90 hours of volunteering at the Hospital of Providence.
She said, “Although the hours will benefit me (for my resume), the main reason I did it is because I love the environment, I love learning things from doctors and nurses, and most of all I love being able to interact with others.”
While volunteering, Lesley helped in patient suites alongside the nurses and met a particular lady she grew to—a patient with complications.
Lesley would come to find out the woman’s family lived in Mexico and could not support her during those hard times; later realizing that many other patients share a similar situation.
Motivated to make a change, Lesley came up with a project she was sure would be an ultimate success.
She said, “I had the idea to team up with the elementary because little kids are very wholesome and overall sweet.”
She contacted the elementary school principal, Ms. Lopez, who helped coordinate and organize the creation of cards between the grade levels.
Lesley said, “The coordinator at Providence Ms. Celina Azar was also very supportive and helped me make this possible.”
From sending emails, setting up meetings with Ms. Martinez and Ms. Lopez, and with the support from Dr. Benavidez, the source who introduced her to the medical field, the Thanksgiving gift was all set.
Lesley delivered over 140 cards to patients at the Hospital of Providence Transmountain Campus that were appreciated by all.
She said, “It’s something I’d love to make a tradition and if the elementary and maybe even the high school or middle school would want too, we could make it a school wide thing that would brighten up and enlighten many people’s days.”
What’s next?
Lesley Castillo’s goals for the future is to graduate from Loretto Academy with a scholarship from a university, eventually entering nursing school and complete a residency in pediatrics.
What can girls learn from her encouraging story?
Lesley said, “To the girls that also want to be active in their communities, I would tell them to follow their passion and do things because they truly want to.
If you love something enough, anything you do regarding that will turn out with amazing results.”
