This summer, Crosley Law Firm had the chance to offer an internship opportunity to Jeanette Berlanga, an Assistance for Qualified Underprivileged Athletic Scholars (AQUAS) student-athlete. Jeanette came to AQUAS as a junior from the charter school KIPP University Prep. From the beginning, AQUAS knew they had met a very special person, a dedicated student, and a determined athlete.
She had played soccer for her school as a coed because there were not enough girls to form a team. As captain of the squad, she was selected for All-State honors on the Texas men’s team. She exhibited outstanding performance as a scholar while simultaneously serving as the “rock” of her family of five since her father died when she was only 12 years old.
Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA also agreed that she was a truly exceptional person and awarded her substantial scholarship dollars that allowed her to attend their school where she will graduate with a degree in government next spring.
She is drawn to help others and hopes to someday return to San Antonio where she can make an impact on the underprivileged segment of the population. She hopes to go to law school and is studying for the LSAT now. We hope her experience with Crosley Law Firm has helped her gain a deeper appreciation of the law and the work that attorneys do.
We wish Jeanette all the best as she continues to pursue her education and her passions.
The non-profit organization, Assistance for Qualified Undergraduate Athletic Students (AQUAS), was formed in 2008. It is dedicated to identifying underprivileged high school athletes who excel in their studies, all the while giving back to their community. AQUAS has worked with 30 students to date and 11 more this year that they will strive to find scholarships for.
Once these students are identified and pass through a selection committee, a professional academic and athletic resumé is developed and coupled with a video highlight film. This package is then sent to every college coach in the nation. AQUAS volunteers then telephone coaches until the right academic and athletic match are found and some form of financial aid is secured.
