STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Rep. Anna Tovar, D-Tolleson (District 13), has been honored with an award by the Jobs for America’s Graduates, the same program for at-risk youth she attended as a teenager.

Now a successful state lawmaker, Tovar received the Legacy of Excellence Award for being an inspirational role-model for young people.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to give back to a program that helped make me who I am,” Tovar said. “Right now, youth in Arizona deserve adequate, equitable and sustainable funding to make every public school a great school.”

Tovar, a 1992 graduate of Tolleson Union High School, entered the JAG youth development program that helped her graduate from high school and make a successful transition to postsecondary education and employment. She acts as a mentor for current JAG students who aspire to careers in civic leadership.

The organization has served more than 750,000 youth since 1980, including 12 months of post-graduation follow-up services that will result in the graduate pursuing a post-secondary education and/or entering the workforce in a quality job leading to a career.


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