Blanco, Carlos National Council de La Raza
LĂderes de Hoy Essay
In your role as a young Latino/a leader, how have you taken action to alleviate discrimination in your community and promote tolerance and inclusion? What have you learned from these experiences? How do you plan to use this knowledge in the future? My life as a leader began in 4th grade. I was a young hopeful Chicanito in an allwhite student classroom when we began to talk about our hopes and what we wanted to do with out lives. I declared to my classroom, and to myself, that I wanted to be teacher maybe reading, because I was good at it. My then-teacher laughed and asked me how I planned to do that since English was not my first language. I knew I had been insulted but I didn t move or say anything. I could not at the time; I was too young to understand the ignorance that she obtained. So I did what I could, I participated everyday, turned in spectacular homework and earned my way to the being the best I could be. Externally as well, I became a young leader aiding my classmates and ensuring their success as well as mine. While this might sound silly, Ms. Heims is the reason why I want to get my PhD someday I want to prove her wrong. While other kids had clowns and donkeys at their birthday parties, I had the thick smell of barbacoa permeating the house, I had numerous uncles and cousins running around and the loud mariachi music shaking the neighborhood. Being Latino has been evident in my life since the day I was born. It is what has inspired me to succeed but also to give back to our community. As a Latino, I have a mission in my life: to display to the world of our success and culture. My mother once told me that I had two choices in doing that: I could be a leader and strive to do my best, no matter what it took; or I could fall into the demographic that society tells me to and turn to drugs or gangs. I have learned that everyone is a leader in their own way. Whether they are a single parent working several jobs to give their kids an education or a Cesar Chavez-like figure pioneering rights for Latino workers in this country. Truthfully, I am still learning about what a leader is and what I can do to continue being a leader. Thus far, I have decided that being a leader is being an eternal student who is always willing to learn. I have had many leadership positions that have garnered me success and experience. Recently I finished my term as the National Youth Vice President for the Southwest for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). In this position I worked with other teenagers from all over the southwest region to establish LULAC councils and create a confident leadership program. Working with LULAC taught me about my culture and what I can do to ensure that my people are not being left behind. I volunteer at the local LULAC educational center because while I have been able to be successful in school, the education foundation of Latinos in this country is far from perfect. By teaching English, I know I can do my part to ensure that one less kid feels as ostracized as I did when I was so young. With LULAC, I saw the Minutemen protest Latino s rights in this country, I began to follow the vigilante group and observe their tactics, all while documenting my journey. In the future, I would like to create something with my journalistic interests and see what I can do for Latinos there. Texas leads the way in teen pregnancy in the nation. For this reason, I also work with Planned Parenthood of Houston as a teen counselor. I do condom demonstrations at
Blanco, Carlos National Council de La Raza
LĂderes de Hoy Essay
schools in Houston and try to get safe-sex information out there to today s students. It s a very controversial job, but it s something that I am passionate about. For me, the basic is education. And if young girls are becoming pregnant especially in the Latino community then an education is pushed further away. By teaching my fellow Latinos about safety and healthy choices, I am confident we can create a smart and approachable culture to these once-taboo topics. I am leader in my Planned Parenthood service team as a youth advocate. I ve met Senators and House Representatives as well as worked closely with Latino community centers in Houston. I finished my first job at a nonprofit organization, Houston Votes, this past summer. Houston Votes aimed to register voters in the Harris County area. With my job, I lead the registration services in the East End Houston s historically Latino neighborhoods. I dove into the communities registering as many people as I could. This was my most recent leadership position. It gave me a passion for aiding my community in a new way. Community involvement is a powerful tool that when used diligently, can create change for years to come. I have learned from my experiences what true leadership is. It is not just a president or even a religious figure it is the person with the courage to take a stand again injustice and recklessness. When I think of a leader, I think of my father leading his platoon in Viet Nam, or my mother and how she has dedicating the past four decades of her life to guiding students into college. I think of my brother fighting for gay rights in an extremely conservative state, or my sisters who both want to be teachers in the inner-city communities. On August 17th, I will board a plane in Houston and fly to New York City. I will take a subway to my new home for a, hopefully, the next four years. I will begin college, but not just as any student as a Latino, as a son and most importantly, as a leader. While I have accomplished a lot in my short life, I anticipate seeing what else I can do and who else I can help. My life has only begun. And as a leader, I intend to go places and truly help my Latino community. I believe that everyone can be a leader, I believe in hope for the future; I believe that everyone no matter what their race or gender or sexual orientation can be successful academically and socially. A true leader will ensure that this happens. As a growing Latino leader, my time has come for me to raise my hands to the stars and reach for my dreams.