Preparing Future Leaders
The youngest of six children, Belen Flores, SPA-CAS '17, is the first person from her family to attend college. She has come to exemplify American University's tradition of civic engagement. Double majoring in justice & law and math, she is a member of the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program which provides her with the experience, skills, and knowledge to prepare her for a leadership role in public service.
Through the program Flores has taken on problems such as bias in the media and the disproportionate representation of youth of color in the criminal justice system. In these efforts she has partnered with the Achievement Center, part of the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, to launch a mentorship program between court-involved youth and American University undergraduate students. She's also a student trainee for the Commercial Litigation Branch of the National Courts Section of the Department of Justice's Civil Division.
Flores is the recipient of both the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) Scholarship as well as the Paul Howard Clarke, Paul Ager Clarke and Isabella Ager Clarke Endowed Scholarship in SPA. The Clarke Endowed Scholarship was established by Isabella Clarke, through a bequest, in the memory of her husband, Paul H. Clarke, and her son Paul A. Clarke, the latter of whom attended American University. The Clarke family had been involved in the public arena for many years, inspiring Mrs. Clarke to create this endowment.
Due to the generosity of alumni and friends of American University, Flores is able to afford an AU education that will prepare her for a life devoted to public service. Thankful for the scholarship support that she has received, Flores points to the future. "These scholarships are not only allowing me to meet milestones in my life but are inspiring me to consider ways I can give back and help the next generation of students at American University succeed."