The capacity to put myself in other people’s shoes and to be actively involved with them is my major forté in cultural sensitivity. Being an FGLI student, I have gone through my own hardships, and they have cultivated in me the urge to bring about change in a positive way in the communities I am part of.
Last summer, I was given an independent civic engagement project as a part of my internship. Although there were many issues I was concerned about, I decided to draw attention to expanding the access of the youth in the underrepresented communities to different avenues. Even though I’m from New York City, The Bronx, I’ve realised that many boroughs don’t provide the same opportunities for youth that Manhattan does. As a high school student, I would have to travel almost two hours to reach a fellowship, program, internship, etc, that I was engaged in.
This made me wonder how many students distributed all over the low-income areas suffer the same fate. As I dug deeper into the matter, I got to know about budget cuts, policy decisions, and community issues, which are still causing these students to have limited access to resources.
My project partner and I decided to contact the elected officials, wanting to make these issues known. Although it was hard to get seriously considered, the whole experience made me more committed to the cause. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to depend on others to carry out a change, so I made a website. The website serves as a database for NYC youth, from children to graduate students. It is very comprehensive, considering it gathers all the resources for the underserved communities like the Latino, undocumented, Black, female, and first-generation students, and also the opportunities for all boroughs.
This site is a wish of mine for my younger self. It not only makes the opportunities easy to find but also helps the students feel more supported and less discouraged. It is a representation of my conviction that real change is often rooted in. It reflects my belief that real change often starts with simple, accessible tools that give people a chance to grow.
Visit the Youth Resource Catalog!
