![\"\"](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/04\/LAP-Headshot--300x450.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Lesly Aponte Pineda<\/p>\n
Youngker High School (Class of 2023)<\/p>\n
Construction Management and Technology, Arizona State University<\/p>\n
From a high school student in Buckeye, Arizona, to a driven college junior with big aspirations in the construction industry, Lesly Aponte Pineda has proven what\u2019s possible with hard work and determination.<\/p>\n
Lesly first connected with Arizona GEAR UP during her junior year of high school, when she began exploring attending college. \u201cThey were very helpful,\u201d she recalled. \u201cThat\u2019s when I was starting my college classes and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally set on a career in the medical field, Lesly experienced a turning point during high school and decided instead to pursue the trades, with a growing interest in becoming an electrician. With the support of GEAR UP and the ACE Program at Estrella Mountain Community College, she found a new direction. \u201cI had some college credits through ACE and dual enrollment,\u201d Lesly explained. \u201cIt just made more sense to continue to university.\u201d<\/p>\n
While still in high school, Lesly showed her commitment by choosing dual enrollment and AP courses over electives. Her dedication paid off\u2014not only in credits but in experience navigating a challenging academic path.<\/p>\n
A key figure in that journey was Mr. Sifford, her Future-Ready class teacher at Youngker High School. \u201cHe was the one who helped steer me towards applying to the ASU Construction program and helped me find the Women at McCarthy meeting,\u201d Lesly shared. \u201cHe was incredibly supportive, and I don\u2019t think I would have applied to this specific program otherwise\u2014my second option was landscape architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her academic journey led her to ASU\u2019s Del E. Webb School of Construction, where she now studies Construction Management and Technology, blending her interest in engineering with hands-on learning. She hopes to become a higher-up at a top construction company, where she hopes her representation will inspire other young women to join the construction field.<\/p>\n
On campus, Lesly has thrived thanks to strong family support and critical guidance. She credits her uncle, a former electrical engineering student, for offering mentorship and tutoring, and her parents for driving her to community college classes before she had a license. \u201cMy mom and uncle really believed in me. Their support motivated me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Financial aid was another big hurdle she overcame with GEAR UP\u2019s help. \u201cThe FAFSA terrified me,\u201d she admits. \u201cBut Denise, my GEAR UP coach, helped me through it.\u201d That support led to a full Pell Grant and scholarships, including the Obama Scholarship, covering all her college expenses.<\/p>\n
Despite her achievements, Lesly has faced setbacks, including a lack of information about housing logistics. \u201cNobody told me how housing worked after your freshman year,\u201d she says, describing the emotional toll of navigating ASU\u2019s lottery-based system. At one point, she was left without housing and feared having to commute two hours from Buckeye. Thankfully, she eventually secured a space.<\/p>\n
Lesly\u2019s proactive nature has landed her internships with companies like Hensel Phelps. This summer, she will work on a Lifetime Fitness project in Paradise Valley, and she\u2019s already building connections for future roles with top-tier firms. Career fairs, mentorship, and department resources have helped, but Lesly\u2019s drive is rooted in her role as a first-generation college student and older sister. \u201cIf I didn\u2019t know how to advocate for myself, I wouldn\u2019t be able to do it for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her advice for high school graduates?<\/strong> Name: Lesly Aponte Pineda High School: Youngker High School (Class of 2023) Postsecondary Plan: Construction Management and Technology, Arizona State University Journey: From a high school student in Buckeye, Arizona, to a driven college junior with big aspirations in the construction industry, Lesly Aponte Pineda has proven what\u2019s possible with hard work and determination. Lesly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":555,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[40,203,7,44],"class_list":["post-5784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-alumni","tag-arizona-state-university","tag-gear-up","tag-youngker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/555"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5784\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/gear-up\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cFind a mentor. If you find someone in your industry who is willing to help you, it makes everything so, so, so much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"