Growing up I had the usual ideas of wanting to be an astronaut or some exciting job. Once in the first grade, for a future career day and thinking it was going to be a presentation, I dressed up in my Sunday suit. When I got to the classroom my then classmates were dressed up in dirt bike outfits and lab coats, dressed for the profession they wanted. When it was my turn to step in front of the classroom my teacher asked me, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. I responded with the first thing that came to mind, “president of the United States”. There were some laughs and a polite nod from my teacher. Fast forward several years and I was planning on going to law school after I got my bachelor’s degree. That plan changed when in my senior year of undergraduate studies I participated in an experiment in one of my political science classes where we built a replica of a solitary confinement cell and one of my classmates sat in for the weekend. The replica, while not being occupied by my classmate, was available to the public and had the testimony of young people that were in solitary confinement playing through a speaker and an iPod shuffle. I later spoke with my professor about how the experiment made me feel and my desire to help those in need. He suggested I look at the Master’s program in Political Science instead of law school right away.
I ended up being accepted and embarked on the journey to get my second degree. While in graduate school I worked to support myself and also did internships and leadership courses. One of the leadership courses I attended was hosted by an organization that was focused on supporting and training Latinos looking to enter pubic service. After I completed the course I interned for an elected official at the state capitol and learned how the legislature works. She was great to intern for and fanned the passion I had to help my community. At this time, I was starting to be more in tune with my Latino background and feeling a more intense desire to help better my community. After I graduated I started applying for jobs in offices of elected officials, organizations dedicated to public work, and talking to people I had met before about opportunities. I went on many interviews and had multiple callbacks but ultimately didn’t get hired. One particular interview stays with me. I applied for an entry level position at the organization that I did the leadership course with. I sat with the executive director and we talked about my desire to work in bettering things and maybe eventually running for office. A few days later I heard back that I did not get the position. I did not understand why, but I did not ask for an explanation for fear of becoming known as a boat rocker because as I learned, what others know about you is important. I felt like I was not Latino enough or not in tune enough with the Latino community. While I was friendly with many of the local leaders in the community I never really felt accepted.
Around this time, I got involved with a local democratic group for young people. I attended some of their meetings and eventually I ran for a leadership position with the organization. After winning I was finally doing work that I enjoyed, albeit on a volunteer basis. For income I was working as a paralegal at a law firm, which I did not find as enjoyable. While in my position at the democratic organization I met members from the national organization, made friends, and eventually held other national positions. I eventually met with members of an international organization of liberal and democratic young people and ended doing some work with them. At the same time I was signing up for and attending training courses for running for elected office or working on a campaign. In one of these courses I was asked to put together a stump speech, which is a quick 2-minute speech on why a person should vote for me. I was encouraged to do some introspection and find out why I want to be in this field. After some internal reflection I found something that had been buried for a long time. Growing up, my parents were undocumented immigrants, although at times I did not know what that was or how it affected our lives. One evening while we were out as a family on a drive we came to a police checkpoint. I remember seeing the concern in my mom’s eyes. When we got to the officer he asked my father for his driver’s license and proof of insurance. He told them he did not have a license. The officer waved us over the side and other officers approached our car. They asked my father to step out of the car and put him in handcuffs. I remember not understanding what was happening and becoming upset. I cried as they took him to the police car. He eventually came home and life continued, although it would not be the last interaction like that. As I remembered this event I recalled that awful feeling and my desire for no one else to have to suffer that. Now that I had found what drives me I have a new sense of confidence in my desire to work in the field. I now have a job with a great group dedicated to seeing democrats get elected. For the past year and a half I have loved my job and have really seen the impact of my work. I look forward to continuing this work.