Teresa Alonso Leon was born in Michoacán, Mexico and moved to Oregon with her family when she was 4 years old. She was the first in her family to graduate from college. Teresa earned a B.A from Western Oregon University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at Portland State University. ...
Read moreTeresa Alonso Leon was born in Michoacán, Mexico and moved to Oregon with her family when she was 4 years old. She was the first in her family to graduate from college. Teresa earned a B.A from Western Oregon University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at Portland State University. She earned her U.S. citizenship five years ago.
Teresa has worked in education in one way or another throughout her life. Most recently, Teresa worked as a High School Diplomacy and GED administrator for the Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development. For the last 18 years, Teresa has dedicated herself to helping Oregon students find their path to college or a post-secondary educational opportunity past high school or GED.
Teresa served as a city councilor in Woodburn for three years. On the council, she has encouraged the formation of an inclusion advisory committee to reach out to a diverse group of citizens. She has also pushed for council to reach out to the underrepresented communities by holding meetings in places other than City Hall, like local parks and community centers, to make them more accessible to Woodburn residents. Teresa was able to bring a new perspective and an active voice for one of the fastest growing minority groups in the state.
In a state where Hispanics make up 12 percent of the population, only one of the 60 members of the House of Representatives is Hispanic. Teresa is the first immigrant Latina to serve in Oregon’s House of Representatives. While Teresa is proud to serve her community she is even prouder to be a role model to her eight-year-old niece, who after seeing Teresa win, dreams of being the first Latina President.
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