Liesl Eibschutz

San Luis Obispo, CA | 17

2015 Award Recipient

In 2012, Liesl Eibschutz was surprised to discover a considerable number of students at her seemingly affluent high school were either homeless, in foster care, living independently, and/or experiencing significant financial difficulty. Liesl describes these classmates as an invisible minority on campus that wish to remain indistinguishable. Upon discovering that school resources were virtually non-existent for these peers, Liesl created the SOS, or "Strengthen Our School" program. For the past three years, under Liesl’s leadership, SOS has raised awareness and funds both on campus and within the San Luis Obispo community. The SOS Program provides: emergency financial assistance, basic necessities (such as teen clothing, groceries, gas, school supplies), items important to teens (such as gift cards for sporting goods, movies, restaurants, prom wear, and graduation apparel), and, most importantly, college scholarships. This year alone, $20,000 was raised for the SOS College Scholarship Fund, and 14 graduating seniors just received scholarships that will assist them in furthering their education.