I was told this trip would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I never imagined it would make a huge impact on my life, allowing me find confidence in who I am and fueling me to become a champion for equal rights.
Some of the issues we advocated for included health access for undocumented people, immigration reform and youth investment. That last one is critical in Merced, where city leaders seem to have forgotten the youth and have completely underfunded opportunities and resources for them to prosper.
Attending GWU is a privilege, but adapting to a campus life has been a challenge. Working in the nursery, while I was the only college student there, everyone I saw at least looked like me, or like they could be an uncle or even a grandparent. GWU couldn’t be more different. Students here come from all over the world. Nearly 10 percent are international, more than the total number of Latino students enrolled in the entire school. And as far as I know, I am the only student from the Central Valley.