A childhood trauma and scrapes with trouble led Beatriz Alcazar to
enlist in the US Army to straighten out.
After her service, Beatrizs husband-to-be was deployed to Iraq
when she was eight months pregnant. Beatriz worked nights to take
care of her baby while going to school. After finally finding success
in college, she was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune
disease that left her in pain and constantly fatigued. Taking doctors
orders to get busy as a message to tackle community issues, she
began by helping children in homeless shelters.
Today, Beatriz is a junior majoring in sociology at Sonoma State
University. She has received state legislative recognition for her
achievements and is a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. She volunteers
at the Jewish Community Clinic and is employed as a bilingual
educator, a sexual assault crisis counselor and a support group
facilitator at Sonoma Countys Rape Crisis and Trauma Center. She is
also president of the Childrens School Parents Club.
Beatrizs future plans are to enter graduate school in social work and
eventually earn her PhD.