Personal Site & Blog
Today I received a personal note from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She a Princeton graduate and a supporter of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and apparently has heard about my work. She sent me a message that said “I am so proud of what you do.” It is such an honor to be recognized by Justice Sotomayor! It is amazing to think that someone of such distinction takes time to acknowledge the work of a young scholar-activist like myself.
So I finished my Junior year at HTHCV!! I don’t want to show off, but I think my final grades are pretty good ;-). What was especially nice was this message from my two team teachers:
“Luz! Words can’t fully describe how thankful we are to have been your junior year teachers. Your name is so appropriate because you really are the type of person who shines light into the darkness. You provide eloquent wording to people’s thoughts that they can’t quite articulate yet as well as action steps for how to do something about it. You are unapologetically yourself – setting an example for both your peers and teachers for what it means to work hard and laugh at the same time. Your voice has been integral to our evolution as teachers and we thank for you that. Everything you say is thought out and articulate. You’re not afraid to ask questions or be an advocate for yourself. At the beginning of this year, you didn’t necessarily view yourself as a scientists or as someone who would go into the sciences, but you made one of the best Making Waves Documentaries and Infographic of the class. To us, this illustrates that your mindset had changed in regards to how you view yourself as a scientist. Between the gun violence walkout, Ethnic Studies, and MEChA next year, you set the bar for what student leadership looks like and for how HTHCV can evolve has a community. Next year, we hope that you continue to take care of yourself. The work that brings you energy can often also be draining, and much like your mentor Diana mentioned, it’s important to ensure that you make time for yourself. Whether it’s through the Danza Azteca or other forms of artistic expression, we hope that you embrace that space for yourself. Overall, we hope that you are happy and thriving in your final year at HTHCV. Thank you so much for everything and good luck in 12th grade and beyond! With love, Ms. Mackenzie and Ms. Meghan”
Like I have mentioned in my previous blog posts, I had the amazing opportunity to intern at the office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at UCSD and shadow Dr. Frances Contreras, the Vice Chancellor of this office. The reason why I chose this internship was because of my interest in being an educator and working with students in higher education. I wanted my mentor to be a person that could show me that I am capable of achieving what they have done in their career, and that is exactly what Dr. Contreras provided for me. The work that Dr. Contreras does for UCSD is inspiring, and of such great importance. I hope to one day make as much of a difference as she does. She showed me what it means to be a highly educated leader, and as a young Latina I saw evidence of why I must be true to myself. She is an incredible role model.
My experience at UCSD was incredibly successful! I learned about what steps are being taken to work toward making UCSD a more diverse and equitable campus, and what the UC system does to support the existing population of students from underrepresented backgrounds. I found that I thrive in spaces like this one, where professional people seek answers to questions related diversity and are passionate about education. For the first time I really saw myself one day being a part of an institution like this one. Realizing this was not hard to do, considering I had such an amazing mentor to look up to.
For my 16th birthday I told my parents that I did not want a party or any particular gift, but instead I wanted to participate in the National Women’s March on Washington that took place on January 20, 2017. The massive march was called for in part as a protest to the inauguration of the Trump administration, and a call to advocate for women’s rights, human rights, immigration rights, and many other issues.
My parents agreed that it was important for me to be there, and my mother and I were able to make the trip and participate in the march together. Being a part of this massive protest was an amazing experience. I will never forget the hilarious banners held up by hundreds of thousands of pink-hat wearing women, marching in unity in front of the Washington Monument.
