Latina Organizer Rising in Power by Gabriela

Latina Organizer Rising in Power by Gabriela - February 2019 Scholarship Essay

My biggest lifetime goal is to open a Youth Center in my community, East Boston. Along with that comes my dream job of being the Executive Director and organizer in the youth center. Growing up, I didn’t have a center or community building that I could call my second home. There was no place that I could receive tutoring on my homework while my mother was out working two jobs, coming home at 10:30 pm. She couldn’t afford to pay for a tutor, I had to find my own ways to do my homework independently. This is an issue that many youth in my community face which results in them dropping out of school, losing motivation, or involving themselves in dangerous activities. My goal is to open the center in the heart of the community so that all youth of all ages feel welcomed. The biggest problem that arises in my community is that there aren’t enough resources in our community to allow youth to have a space that’s theirs, can do homework, receive counseling, participate in extracurricular activities, feel safe from the violence that exists in our community. The few centers that exist charge families.
Since the age of 14, I have been a Youth Organizer at a local non-profit organization in East Boston. I have attended community meetings, created recreational/community building activities for youth, participated in cleaning initiatives for local parks, and developed environmental justice campaigns. East Boston is very diverse, vibrant, and a community filled with a proud and varied cultural heritage. However, East Boston often falls short of the mark for Environmental Justice. East Boston is the home of low income people of color whose voices are often silenced and whose lives are oppressed by those in power, often individuals who do not deeply know the community. East Boston is the home of immigrants and thus a tapestry of cultures and the traditions they bring. Almost half of the population is foreign born, most hailing from El Salvador and Colombia. As a young individual in my community, I have been heavily involved in youth activism, something I believe is essential. We, the youth, are the “now” and the “future.” We have the right and the responsibility to express our concerns about our community and collaboratively work on ways to improve them as a collective force. Youth activism is an integral piece, particularly within the communities in which I live and attend school. Age does not disqualify an individual from voicing important concerns. Unfortunately, in my community, East Boston, MA, youth do not always have access to opportunities and thus, lack leadership skills. I hope to attain the skill set and knowledge from this institute and be able to transform my community, where the voice of the youth are heard and accepted. I hope to come back to my community and implement what I have learned and share the wealth of knowledge I would be granted at Brown. I hope to be able to gather new experiences with other youth who are passionate. I have a strong desire to become more empowered than I already am and be able to come back to my community to spread the knowledge and gather ideas with my community to overcome the injustices that exist.
My college plans guide me to be able to bring my experience to the table and educate myself in broader terms to what I need in order to open the youth center. Being able to go to college, allows for me as a Latina to be able to break those stereotypes that exist regarding women of color in post secondary schools and allows for me to build relationships with other individuals who have similar experience to me or wish to get involved in activism and bringing justice to communities.