Police Academy Magnet School Graduate Soars to New Heights

Los Angeles: At a time when most news coverage regarding the youngest residents of our city is of a negative nature, it is refreshing to learn of a student who is succeeding in her studies and has set personal goals that promise to serve our society.

Remember the name Elena Perez. To begin, this remarkable young woman is a graduate of Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) Monroe High School Police Academy Magnet School. The innovative school program is designed to identify high school age students who have expressed an interest in future law enforcement careers. Five Los Angeles Area schools accommodate a magnet school program and the LAPD dedicates one full-time officer to each of the schools.

The duties of these assigned officers include being a role model, mentor and tutor for those students choosing a position in the field of law enforcement. The magnet school curriculum includes both classroom and physical education classes that challenge the students and prepares them in a manner that is necessary for a demanding career choice. Ms. Perez excelled in her studies at the Monroe High School Magnet Program. Embracing the concept of co-operation between the LAUSD and the Los Angeles Police Department, Ms. Perez became one of the first graduates of the Magnet School program in the spring of 2000.

The effort Ms. Perez put forward carried through her high school years and the hard work was rewarded by her being awarded a full four year Bill Gates Foundation Scholarship at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Upon graduation this April, Ms. Perez is currently seeking an internship with the United States Supreme Court with a desire to enter Stanford Law School in the near future.

Needless to say, Ms. Perez is a fine example to all of us when it comes to the challenge of applying the skill, fortitude and desire to achieve our dreams. The satisfaction of guiding, instructing and mentoring such a successful student is one of the aspects of teaching that educators find to be highly rewarding.

For more information regarding Ms. Perez and the Police Academy Magnet School Program, contact the program’s initiator, Ms. Roberta Weintraub at 310-246-0404.

This media advisory was prepared by Public Information Officer Jack Richter, Media Relations Section, 213-485-3586.