Royals 3

As I inch closer and closer to the end of my senior year, I have come to realize that most of my days are spent reflecting on my high school experience, and anticipating my future. While reflecting, I always make sure to practice gratitude. This chapter in my life has taught me valuable lessons and offered me a wide array of opportunities, both of which I am extremely grateful for.

The most valuable lesson thus far has been to make the most of your circumstances, and create your own opportunities within. Latinx Leadership Club has allowed me to do both, but it did not come easy. In 2019, Piper High School did not have an organization for Latinx students, unlike many of our surrounding schools. The importance of creating a diverse environment for our students only grew as our diversity numbers increased at rapid rates.

Throughout the process of creating this organization, I faced many setbacks. I first inquired about the process of starting the organization towards the spring of my freshman year. Our activities director had explained to me that to get the club approved, I would have to plan every single meeting until the end of the year, and have all presentations, activities, etc. approved. Other organizations within the school planned their meetings monthly, and did not have to go through this rigorous process. 

I opened my laptop and got to work. I made sure to look at many other schools for inspiration, but also include my own goals and ideas. About two weeks into planning, Covid-19 struck. We initially had two weeks off of school, which at the time, was exciting. During this time I completed all of the meeting plans, and decided to reach back out to the activities director.

While reaching out, he had told me that we would not be returning to school, and we would not be starting the club. I was determined to continue my efforts, and not let the work I had done go to waste. I let the school year finish and I knew I would be back at it the next year, whatever the circumstances ended up being. 

Towards the end of our summer break, we got the news that we would not be returning to school in person. Before the school year started, I reached out to the activities director again, and let him know that our organization would be meeting virtually this year. I had to take a different approach and learn how to be assertive in situations where the result had lots of importance.

My sophomore year we began to grow our organization’s community piece by piece. This was our building year, but in 2021-2022, we flourished. I took on new responsibilities since we finally had the privilege of being in-person again. I spent many days recruiting, keeping our social media up to date, planning events, field trips, and so much more.

Our organization grew to over 50 members, and we always made it a mission to not only create a safe space for Latinx students, but also to create a safe space for students to learn about the culture. We invited everyone, regardless of background, to each of our meetings and events, and even encouraged members to bring guests. This was to ensure that students could ask questions and learn how to appreciate culture.

As our country grows more and more divided, it is important to create community and connections at a smaller scale level. The members of our club will take what they’ve learned and implement it into their daily lives. It has been an absolute honor to have been able to have a positive influence on my school and community. My goal was to change the environment for Latinx students, and I have accomplished that and more.

The work I have done in high school has had so much value to me. I have discovered through my leadership experiences that this is something that I would like to continue and develop. After high school, I plan to attend the University of Kansas and study Public Administration and Marketing. Both of these fields directly tie into my goals for later in life.

Public Administration will allow me to continue being involved in my community. I eventually would like to use this knowledge and background to help me pursue a career in public policy. Representation in higher places makes such a difference for your community and the youth. My goal is to inspire other Latinx people to make change, and take on leadership roles. 

From personal experience, sometimes it can be difficult to stay motivated when you don’t see people like you doing the same things as you, or feeling like you don’t belong. What some might call imposter syndrome. Learning how to combat this has taken lots of time, and it is not something that I would wish upon any other student. This is particularly common within students of color, which is also why it is important for me to make sure I continue being a part of the increase of representation.

My people mean so much to me, and everything I do is for them. I want to see them succeed and accomplish big things. My marketing degree will allow me to gain insight on business, and share information. To do so, I one day would like to create a non-profit organization that helps first-gens, people of color, and immigrants learn financial literacy. With this organization, I would also like to help first-gens learn about college and learn that it is obtainable.

Leadership in high school has given me so many opportunities and taught me so much. Through my experience, I have learned that it is my passion to help others like me. My plans will reflect that, and I truly do hope to continue making a difference around me. I will continue to pave the way for others like me, and help them along the way.