Linda Duttenhaver Distinguished Alumni Award winner Leslie Gerson

Leslie Gerson | UC Santa Barbara, Université of Bordeaux, 1968-69
Leslie was born in Chicago but raised in San Fernando Valley. She attended UC Santa Barbara from 1966-1970 and her year abroad with UCEAP at the Université of Bordeaux (1968-69) was a life-defining event. After returning from France, Leslie received her teaching credential from UCLA and taught English and French for three years at the same all girls parochial high school in the Valley that she attended.
On a dare, Leslie took the Foreign Service written exam in late 1974 and entered the Foreign Service on September 25, 1975, for what she intended would be only one tour of duty. Forty-eight years later, Leslie is still active in the State Department, inspecting embassies overseas, bureaus and offices domestically, and offering her coaching and editing skills to the next generation. In her free time, Leslie supports a local Salvadoran-Honduran family with multiple health and legal challenges, with transportation, interpreting, managing medical, and life safety issues.
--
Named after one of UCEAP's strongest supporters and a program alumna herself, the Linda Duttenhaver Distinguished Alumni Award honors an alumna or alumnus who has a record of extraordinary service or achievement in their field and has made a significant impact on the global community.
---
Through international academic experiences, the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) inspires students to explore and transform their lives, UC, and the world.
Join in the conversation with UCEAP
Subscribe: www.youtube.co...
UCEAP Website: uceap.universi...
Facebook: @uceap, / uceap
Instagram: @uceap, / uceap
Twitter: @uceap, / uceap
TikTok: @uceapstudyabroad / uceapstudyabroad