I am a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in Psychology and minoring in Queer Studies. I am very passionate about community involvement and volunteering, especially with young people in the LGBTQ+ community. I have a few part-time jobs to help fund my learning at the university, and one of them is a youth leadership role at the LGBTQ Center OC in their Elevate Program. Since joining the Youth Leadership Committee last October, I have been exposed to a variety of issues affecting the queer and POC youth community, such as zero-tolerance policies, lack of restorative justice practices, mental health advocacy, and more.

As a first-generation Latinx student, I found the project proposed by my mentor, Brian Kayser, very exciting as it is another way for faculty to better understand the needs and perspectives of students of color. It will also share how each first-generation student’s experience in higher education may differ, and highlight the accomplishments they have achieved along the way.