Our Story

As the child of immigrant parents, I grew up believing that education was my ticket out of poverty and my way to break generational barriers. Like many first-generation students, I was encouraged to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. No one ever told me I could work on the policies that directly impact the communities I call home.

That started to change when I interned in the district office of a Member of Congress. There, I saw how many constituents felt disconnected from their public officials and did not know about the free resources available to them. I met families who were working hard, doing everything right, yet still felt shut out of the systems that were supposed to serve them.

Wanting to better understand how decisions get made, I pursued opportunities in Washington, D.C., including an internship through the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute. In those spaces, I rarely saw people who shared my background or my story, and it became even clearer to me how important it is for first-generation students to be at the table.

I founded NextGen Scholars for Change (NextGen) so that other first-generation students would not have to wait as long as I did to discover these opportunities. Our mission is to empower first-generation students in Chicago and the Chicagoland area to become leaders in public service.

Through our programs, Scholars receive mentorship, leadership training, and hands-on experience in public policy and government. They work with community organizations and public offices, learn how systems work, and start to see themselves as the public leaders they are capable of becoming. We believe that first-generation students should not only have a seat at the table but should help shape the agenda, and we are working every day to make that possible.