As the Founder and Outreach Director of Harvesting Justice,

I am dedicated to advancing justice for farmworker communities.

My commitment to this work is deeply rooted in my experiences,

my values, and my belief that the communities who sustain

our food systems deserve to be seen, heard, and empowered.

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My path toward farmworker advocacy began at Bellarmine College Preparatory, where I participated in the Salinas Rural Plunge immersion trip and the Ignatian Family Teach-In in Washington, D.C. These experiences introduced me to the realities facing farmworker communities and challenged me to think beyond simply learning about injustice. They helped me recognize advocacy as a commitment to listening, building relationships, and standing alongside communities. That commitment led me to found Harvesting Justice through the Changemakers in a Changing World social justice and advocacy program, giving me a platform to continue learning, educating others, and advocating for farmworker communities.

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Since founding Harvesting Justice, my understanding of advocacy has continued to grow through my work with Santa Clara University’s Water & Climate Justice Lab and Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS). Working alongside ALAS and the farmworker community has been particularly formative, teaching me that meaningful advocacy does not begin with assuming that I know what a community needs. It begins with listening, building trust, and allowing the experiences and priorities of community members to shape the work. These experiences have strengthened my belief that advocacy is most meaningful when it is rooted

in relationships, humility, and genuine partnership.

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As a first-generation Latino college student pursuing civil engineering, I am especially interested in the intersection of infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and social justice. My experiences have shaped my understanding that infrastructure is more than roads, buildings, and physical systems as it determines who has access to safe housing, clean water, healthy environments, sustainable resources, and dignified working conditions. As I prepare to enter a field with the power to shape communities for generations, I believe engineering carries a responsibility to consider not only what we build, but who benefits from what we build,

whose voices are included in the process,

and who has historically been left behind.

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Through Harvesting Justice, I hope to bring these perspectives together by creating greater awareness of the experiences and contributions of farmworker communities while exploring meaningful pathways toward systemic change. My vision is for the initiative to grow beyond advocacy alone into a lasting platform for education, outreach, community partnership, and action. One that connects community voices with the people, resources, and disciplines needed to advance meaningful change.

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At Santa Clara University, I continue developing this work through my involvement in the Water & Climate Justice Lab, LEAD, Ignatian Center, University Honors Program, and Grand Challenges Scholars Program where each of these communities has challenged me to think more deeply about leadership, service, and my responsibility to the communities around me. Together, these experiences have reinforced my belief that lasting change requires collaboration across disciplines, lived experiences, and communities, and that the most meaningful solutions emerge when we listen first and build alongside the people those solutions are meant to serve.

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Ultimately, Harvesting Justice is rooted in a simple belief: the people who feed us should never be overlooked by the systems they sustain. I am committed to continuing to learn from farmworker communities, building meaningful partnerships, and using my education, engineering background, and voice to help create a future in which these communities are not simply advocated for, but empowered

to shape the systems and solutions that affect their lives.