Founded in 1969 by a group of Hispanic student activists in Phoenix, Arizona, Chicanos Por La Causa/CPLC is a social services organization with a rich, storied history and a near-household name status in the state. My own parents attended a worker’s rights talk with Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, two of the figures most commonly associated with CPLC, decades ago when they were field laborers newly arrived to the US, so in a way, I felt that the internship had a bit of ‘full circle’ nature to it. My internship experience with CPLC was honestly delightful!
From day one, I made connections and relationships that have led me to opportunities that have helped get me to where I am now. Though I started as an intern with the Immigration department, I quickly developed a close relationship with Diana Fierro, at that time the Tucson Housing Coordinator. When a position opened for a housing counselor, she encouraged me to apply, and here I am, HUD-certified and always ready to help! It was that same drive to help that led me to run for public office.
The biggest reason that I decided to run was that as a housing counselor, I operated with limited resources. Seeing a single mother and her children be evicted in my own neighborhood days after we had to turn her down was something that changed me. So I ran, I asked my city for their support, and I am proud to say that I am now the acting mayor of the City of South Tucson, with my NAU grad cap here in my office!