Staying Strong-A Young Latinas Determination |
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Written by CG Girl
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Friday, 09 October 2009 07:15 |
Staying Strong-A Young Latinas Determination
Written by: Taryn Gonzales
Someone once told me that every time there is a struggle in life, it is a preparation for what is to come. ……. This is a motivational story of a good friend of mine who I’ve know since high school. She proved that with determination and the will to overcome, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to…no matter the color of your skin. Her political involvement began at an early age. Whether it was being active in Student Government, being a Girl Scout, or being appointed to the Bexar County Youth Commission in high school, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in public service. Interning for the San Antonio City Council and Texas Legislature, working on various political campaigns, and volunteering in the community, provided an array of public service experience. While searching online one day she stumbled across a Fellowship program for undergraduate students at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The program was called the Institute for Political Service Fellowship through an organization called United Leaders. She applied, and weeks later, received a phone call from United Leaders. She had no idea it was her interview, but was asked several questions. Then a couple of weeks later, she received an email stating that she was awarded to be a Fellow. She was 1 of 36 Fellows awarded from 750 applicants nationwide. The other fellows attended schools at Harvard, Yale, Duke, Princeton, etc. When she first got to Boston, she felt out of place. She didn’t realize it at first, but she was the only Latina in the group. The days consisted of: working at internships, and in the evening, they would go to the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government to gain skills in policy analysis, public speaking, speechwriting, media relations, etc; and on the weekends they would do volunteer work for different non-profit organizations. In the first couple of weeks, a rumor spread that the only reason she was selected was because she was Hispanic. At first, she was offended. She had accomplished so much and for someone to say something like that was not only hurtful, but disrespectful to her. She felt like they didn’t respect her credentials. But, she didn’t let them get to her. She was focused at her internships: working for the first Latino State Senator Jarret Barrios and the non-profit organization, The Common Cause. Throughout her time studying at the Kennedy School, she felt that although they had several public servants and instructors speak to them, there were hardly any Latino guest speakers. It bothered her, and so she voiced her concern to certain Fellows. As the fellowship came to an end, they began to prepare for the graduation ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Library. The fellows selected 2 people to deliver the graduation speech at the John F. Kennedy Library, and she was one them. When she returned home, she read a column about it in the San Antonio Express News calling her a “Rising Star” because she participated in this prestigious program. As a result of the article, she delivered the introduction speech to 2004 Presidential Candidate, Howard Dean, at the La Villita Assembly Hall. In the end, her diligence, hard work and determination paid off. She kept moving forward and never looked back.
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