Gizelle Figueroa, 2024 Athena Youth Leadership Award Recipient

By Jo Ann Kirby
Photography by Tim Ulmer Photography

Now that she’s been named as the recipient of the 2024 ATHENA Youth Leadership Award, Gizelle Figueroa feels deeply that she has unlimited potential. The high-achieving teenager, a senior at Linden High School, was surprised to be recognized as the first recipient of the new award. “I feel like all my hard work is paying off,” she said after the luncheon at the Stockton Golf & Country Club, where she accepted the award. “This honor is so motivating to me. I feel like I can do so much more than I think I can. I realize I am bound for more.”

Gizelle is already a voice for her fellow students in Linden, where she serves as a student trustee to the Linden Unified School District Board and she is an FFA officer. She is also involved at Linden High School, where she shined on stage as a hit woman in All’s Well in Roswell. She was selected as a delegate for the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State, takes a hefty load of AP classes and is involved in other school clubs and organizations. “I’m looking into different careers and how I can make a difference in other people’s lives and my community,” she affirmed.

Gizelle has already provided a valuable service to her community over the years through her involvement in the American Cancer Society: Relay for Life event in Linden. For the past five years, Gizelle has been a team captain for the annual relay; she was responsible for building her team, fundraising, setting goals, organizing and preparing for events. She became involved after two close family members were diagnosed with cancer. “In my mind, I thought, my family is going through something and I know other families are, too. What could I do to help?” she said.

This past year, Gizelle went the extra mile by organizing and providing childcare for over 20 children whose grownups were attending the Concert for a Cure event in Linden. She thought that providing babysitting would encourage more young parents to attend the event. Gizelle turned cardboard boxes into cars, complete with windshields she cut out, so that the kids could decorate them and sit in them for a movie night while their parents enjoyed the concert. “I got so much joy out of seeing how happy the parents and kids were with my project,” she smiled.

Gizelle was nominated for the ATHENA Award by Angel Weber, a coordinator at the San Joaquin Office of Education. “Gizelle has always been a hard-working student,” she said. “However, watching her pursue her college dreams these last four years has shown another level of dedication and hard work.” Weber said Gizelle is much deserving of recognition. “In addition to her work ethic, Gizelle has shown empathy and compassion for classmates and family in her genuinely kind interactions,” she said. “She is authentic in who she is and in all she does. Her faith and her family guide her and she is determined to make a difference by positively impacting those around her.”

Gizelle’s family instilled in her a strong work ethic. She spends her school breaks helping out at the family store. Her great-grandfather, Emiliano Magana Solorio Sr., was the founder of El Dorado Market in 1972. It would be Stockton’s first Mexican market and deli, an iconic store known for its tamales, carnitas and other delicious food. Sadly, he passed away in July 2024 at the age of 101. He and other members of her tightknit family have always inspired her to be strong and to hold steadfast in her beliefs.

Gizelle’s parents are proud of their daughter and believe she can do anything she sets her mind to. When he heard that his daughter had been named the ATHENA Youth Leadership Award recipient, Carlos Figueroa said he was speechless. His wife, Arlene, said she felt a sense of overwhelming pride. “It was very emotional, I think I cried,” she said. “She works so hard to do everything, she really gives of herself to the fullest.”

As she heads into her final semester of high school, Gizelle is considering her future. She is pondering colleges and a future career, possibly as a veterinarian. She is heavily involved in FFA and is raising a feeder pig and a market pig to show at the fair. “For now, I’m looking into animal science,” she reported. “I definitely plan on attending a four-year university.” If so, she would be the first in her family to go to a university.

As an ATHENA, Gizelle is part of a special group of women who have been recognized because they excel in their chosen field, have devoted time and energy to their community in a meaningful way and also open doors so that others may follow in their path. ATHENA Youth Leadership Award came with a surprise $2,000 scholarship, which was special for Gizelle. “I got really emotional when they announced the scholarship,” she said. “I was just overwhelmed.”