Pierce Alum Antoinette Morales Named Chancellor Spotlight Student For Week of December 3, 2024

Los Angeles Community College District Interim Chancellor Alberto J. Román introduced the Student Spotlight of the Week initiative on December 3, 2024. The initiative is dedicated to celebrating the heart and soul of our District: our students. Each week, the feature will showcase one student from the nine LACCD colleges, sharing their unique journey, achievements, and aspirations. The inaugural student spotlighted was Pierce's own alumna, Antoinette Morales. Read on to learn about her inspiring story.  

For Antoinette Morales, a recent graduate of Los Angeles Pierce College, earning the Congressional Award Gold Medal is more than an achievement—it’s a symbol of possibility. “Winning means I’m able to represent my Salvadoran community as a first-generation student. It’s a reminder that with a goal in mind, anything is achievable, no matter your age, background, or long-term dreams. It allowed me to connect deeply with my community and LACCD as a whole,” Antoinette says.

The Congressional Award Gold Medal, the U.S. Congress’s highest honor for youth, recognizes individuals who complete rigorous requirements: 400 hours of Voluntary Public Service, 200 hours of Personal Development, 200 hours of Physical Fitness, and a five-day, four-night Expedition or Exploration.

Antoinette’s journey began in high school when she founded a volunteer club to inspire peers to give back. She was introduced to the program by her school’s club administrator. Motivated by local need she’d observed over the years, Antoinette volunteered at libraries, animal shelters, and soup kitchens to make significant contributions to her community while practicing guitar, painting, playing volleyball, and skateboarding to meet other program requirements.

Due to COVID-19, the “Exploration” aspect of her project was virtual. She chose to research religion's role in the rehabilitation of ex-gang members in El Salvador, her home country.

Over the summer, Antoinette received her medal at the Annual Gold Medal Ceremony in Washington, D.C., meeting Congressman Brad Sherman and Senator Alex Padilla. Planning to study English and pre-law at UCLA in 2024, Antoinette aspires to become a human rights lawyer and return to PierceCollege as a professor. “I love it so much that I want to come back,” she says.