|
New! Check out an interview with Adriana at Campus Progress
Adriana grew up in a family of farmworkers who immigrated from Mexico. She recently completed her first year at CSU-Fullerton, where she is studying sociology and political science. She is interested in learning how to mobilize and educate communities about the need for positive social change.
Adriana is one of the co-founders of Voices of Today and Tomorrow, a magazine that focuses on social justice issues internationally and locally. She also is a member of the Latino Voter Education Fund, a group that conducts bipartisan voter registration drives, NonViolent Youth Leadership Alliance (NYLA), and the Third Wave Feminist Activist Group. Adriana has also been volunteering at Orange County Human Relations for the past four years. She interned at United States Student Association as a part of the CPL New Leaders Program.
How have you been a leader in your community?
I have been a student leader by standing up for what I believe in, even when my voice and actions have sometimes been the only few of dissent.
What personal values most shape your political beliefs?
The value that I put on the importance of family, community, human dignity and individual freedom are the values that have driven my progressive political beliefs.
What are your long-term leadership interests?
Graduating from California State University, Fullerton, graduating from law school and then doing community organizing either through a non-profit, a labor union or through progressive campaigns. Making sure that whatever leadership position that I am in that I continue to try and be the change that I seek in the world and making sure that I stay grounded with the best interest of the community.
What does “Progressive” mean to you?
Progressive values are those that are comprehensive and all encompassing of different social, economic and environmental inequalities. Those who are progressive see the interconnection between all these causes and issues.
What long-term change do you want to help bring to your state?
Change… ummm… changes: universal health care, comprehensive immigration reform, less reliance on oil, more innovative green transportation, free education for all, less jails and more books, and unions for all prostitutes. If I had to choose one long-term change… it would be raising taxes on the top 5 % richest families and corporations and using the money to fund social justice causes.
How do you envision the New Leaders Program in helping you achieve your goals?
By keeping me connected with the Center for Progressive Leadership and the other programs that they organize/offer and by keeping me connected with jobs in the progressive movement. I envision NLP being a support system, not only of networks, but of continual development and trainings.
What attracted you to the CPL New Leaders Program?
What didn’t attract me to the CPL New Leaders Program? The NLP goes above and beyond to train, develop, empower and connect young people from all different walks of life to become strong leaders. The NLP is more then just an internship that most of us could have stayed at home for, its about the weekly trainings, a mentor, a summer in D.C., its about the infusion of all these opportunities to make one AMAZING learning experience/opportunity.
What did you get out of the New Leaders Program?
Renewed confidence in myself, and in the progressive movement; (who would ever guess that the daughter of immigrant parents, a woman of color who grew up in a low-income household would get the opportunity to go to the capital of the “strongest” country in the world to learn how to kick some serious political butt). Knowing that organizations like the United States Student Association and Center for Progressive Leadership exist, inspires me because the people that work for these organizations give up so much for their belief and vision of a better world for all of us.
Besides the motivation, I learned how to organize and strategize to win concrete victories, instead of planning random activities around issues that have no goal or way of moving people who are directly effected by the problems to solve it and change it.
|
