Leticia Horry lives by the words “always leave something better than the way you found it, people included.”

Leticia Horry lives by the words “always leave something better than the way you found it, people included.” She has persistently worked to uphold that commitment since it first guided her to leave an unsafe home and earn her bachelor’s degree at U-M — all while navigating the new challenges of single parenthood. 

After graduating with her bachelor’s in 2012, Leticia began work at Michigan Medicine, prioritizing the needs of her family without ever losing sight of her educational aspirations. Over the past decade, Leticia has served as a tireless advocate and cheerleader for her neurodivergent son, volunteered at Michigan Medicine to help other parents advocate for their children, served as a department co-lead of Michigan Medicine’s Inspiring Medicine to Promote Opportunities for Well-being, Equity, and DivRsity (IMPOWER) team, and assisted the Washtenaw Intermediate School District in supporting students with learning difficulties and in need of mental health support. In addition to her core role at Michigan Medicine, Leticia recently developed and proposed a program to make early screenings accessible to racially marginalized women and contributed to a grant to support patients through transitional care within the Sickle Cell Disease Pediatric and Adult Programs.

Now, with the vision of leaving communities better than she found them, Leticia is pursuing her MSW at UM-Ann Arbor. Leticia intends to make a difference in the lives of active duty and veteran service members, as well as the young people of future generations. Leticia envisions collaborating with local and state governments to introduce policies designed to support those individuals who need the most assistance – including school-age children – as well as working one-to-one with active and veteran military service members of all ages and their families. Leticia’s professor comments that “as a leader, Leticia will always go the extra mile.”

CEW+ applauds Leticia’s vision and drive to make a positive impact and names her a Mary Lucille Randolph and Lea King Dean Memorial Scholar.