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Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border

I have been volunteering at the Binational Garden in Border Field State Park since I was 12 years old. Also known as “Friendship Park,” it includes a 75-foot section of the boundary between the United States and Mexico that is one of the last locations where people can still interact across the international border wall. Families who have been separated by immigration policies visit the park on Sundays to share a few moments together. For this reason, this space is very important to the border community it resides in.

Unfortunately, after January 2018, Friendship Park was increasingly militarized, limiting public access to the garden. On November 14th, the Park was completely sealed off to be covered with rows of razor wire. Heavily armed U.S. soldiers patrol the area, waiting for Central American asylum seekers. Now more than ever, I am reminded of the importance of the Binational Garden and my volunteer work to help maintain public access to Friendship Park. In the near future, I hope to return and continue to care for the conflicted beauty of this special place.

 

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MEChA at HTHCV

One of my biggest takeaways from interning at the UCSD office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion was understanding the importance of having a space dedicated to bringing together like minded students with similar experiences who can then work toward being agents of change in their communities. I found that I wanted this for my campus, so I have been inspired to be a part of a group of students who will create the first MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/Chicana de Aztlan) at High Tech High Chula Vista.

MEChA at HTHCV would be a space for people of any background or experiences to pursue higher education, become community leaders, and simultaneously learn about Latina/o identities, culture, and history. This would be an amazing culture shift for our campus where currently the student body that is predominantly made up of Latina/os but this is not reflected in the traditional curriculum.

Historically, MEChA has advocated the belief that political involvement and education is the avenue for change in our society. At HTHCV we will promote these ideas through the subjects that we discuss in class and the activities that will take place during the year. Some of the activities that we foresee MEChA doing for its students would be history lectures, community volunteer work, and attending local university conferences aimed at high school Mechistas.

I am very excited to be a part of something so momentous and necessary at my school, and hope that by this time next year I will be a proud Mechista graduate.

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2018 National Student Walkout Against Gun Violence

The 2018 National Student Walkout Against Gun Violence was a call for all high schoolers in the nation to walk out of their classes on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, and demand that action be taken to end gun violence in the United States. I was one of the key organizers for the activities that took place across South San Diego. A committee of students representing at least six different high schools in Chula Vista and San Diego met every week from February to April 2018 to plan our events.

The walkout I participated in took place on August 20th, 2018 and at least 250 students from my school walked out of their classes at 10:00 am and marched to a local park. My responsibilities for the protest included organizing a student security team to make sure our protesters were safe during the entirety of the march, and to deliver a speech toward the end of the event. I also purchased waters for the students, and searched for megaphones to use during the march.

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Anakbayan Visits Escuelita Aztlan

Like I had mentioned on my community work page, I am an active participant in Escuelita Aztlan. The last  session that took place on 11/18/2017  was led by an organization called Anakbayan, a youth and student organization that works toward systemic change for the betterment of Filipin@ people.

The presentation that they prepared for us was amazing. I learned about the socio economic struggles faced by working class people in the Philippines, and what movements are happening in the country. Learning this background information sparked my interest to educate myself more on Filipino history and the struggles they face in the United States.

This is not the first time I had such a great educational experience at Escuelita Aztlan… If it weren’t for the program I wouldn’t have known about many other organizations and the amazing work they do in different communities.

I encourage young people that have any interest in knowing more about themselves and other cultures to attend the next Escuelita Aztlan session that will take place on December 2nd, 2017. The theme of the meeting will focus on “the Education System VS the Prison System”. 

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NATIONAL WOMEN’S MARCH ON WASHINGTON

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.