Fall 2020-Spring 2021

Fall 2020 - Spring 2021

Joseph Dilan Alvarez

My name is Joseph Álvarez Dilán. I was born and raised in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. In October 2017, when Hurricane Maria hit, I was left with little options to finish University, so I decided to move to Brooklyn, New York and attend the City University of New York. Currently, I am pursing a degree in Latinx and Latin American Studies at John Jay while attaining a certification in Legal Interpretation and Translation. Upon graduation, my goal is to study law and pursue post graduate studies in either International Relations. As a lawyer, I will specialize in Human Rights, International Law, and International Humanitarian Law within Latin America. In my free time I enjoy running, reading, and watching documentaries and films. Curious by nature, I am passionate about traveling, and love to learn about different cultures in order to inform my practices. I take every opportunity I get to see parts of the world previously unknown to me. Above all else, my family and community are the most important aspects of my life; I will work endlessly to secure their wellbeing. ¡Hacia la victoria siempre!

Amber Gonzalez

Hello everyone, my name is Amber Gonzalez. I’m a first generation American and college student. I was born and raised in the Bronx with proud Dominican roots. I’m an upper sophomore at John Jay majoring in Law & Society with the hopes of graduating with a certificate in Spanish Legal Translation and Interpretation. Upon graduation, I hope to attend law school and be the representation and voice for the neglected and silenced in our society. Growing up in a hardworking Dominican female dominated household, I quickly realized that the world I would later interact with wouldn’t appreciate it as much as I did and still do. At the age of 13, my mother left the Dominican Republic leaving her loved ones and memories to experience the “American Dream” which she would later give it a new meaning. Now my mother’s dream is for all her children to be happy and successful in whichever way we define it. Indirectly giving up her own dreams for the completion of our own, my mother is a trailblazer and embodies a true role model. At my placement site, in the Safe Passage Project, I hope to be at least half the person she is, keeping the lives of the people as priority

Caitlin Garcia

Hola! My name is Caitlin Garcia, and I was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Staten Island, NY. My parents are both from Mexico and emigrated to New York in the 1980s, both working various kinds of jobs and wanting to accomplish the American Dream they came here for. After (many) years of saving and sacrifice, they were able to gain their residency in the United States. Growing up my family was fortunate enough to be able to visit family in Mexico and during those trips I would fall deeper in love with my parent’s homeland. My sister and I were also included in balie folklórico, a type of traditional dance that allowed me to be even further connected to my mother’s past as a dancer and to her roots in Mexico.
I am currently a junior majoring in International Criminal Justice, minoring in Interdisciplinary Studies and earning my Dispute Resolution Certificate. After completing my Bachelor’s Degree, I hope to eventually go to law school and study immigration law. After hearing the process that my parents went through and others that I know currently are going through to receive their green cards, I want to be able to help even more people to be able to stay in this country. In my free time I like to read, hang out with my family and watch documentaries

Francis Hernandez

Hello my name is Francis Hernandez. I am a First-generation college student and I am pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. I am still undecided and hopefully this experience will help me to figure out which career I should pursue. My immigration family history is long. My family’s journey began during the early 2000s when my sister who was only nineteen at the time traveled to the United States from the Dominican Republic by boat in a trip that lasted around 23 days.
Upon arrival to the United States, she was arrested and my family did not hear from her for about three months. My family started to lose hope and began to believe the worst. She was safely found in a jail located in Miami. My aunt that lived here bail her out and then she started her journey in the states. thanks to her bravery and courage at only nineteen my family in the Dominican Republic begin to the harvest of her actions. She lasted seventeen years undocumented in the united states despite never doing anything illegal and being married for 15 years and having 3 children born and raised in the united states.
I want to help people like my sister who did not have the privilege of coming here legally and had to hustle harder than most people to survive and provide for their family in need. I have been living here only 3 years and I have been pretty privilege compared to my siblings who did not get the chance to attend to college because they had other priorities, and it has not been ease. I cannot imagine what they most have gone through undocumented, in need of guidance and encountering a language barrier that is the backbone of pretty much everything in this society. So that is I am a strong believer that everyone deserves an equal opportunity

Monica Hernandez

My name is Monica Hernandez, and I am a junior majoring in Latin American Studies and minoring in Political Science. I was born and raised in Queens, New York, with Mexican parents. I grew up in a mixed-status family. As a result, I have seen firsthand the struggles of undocumented immigrants. Growing up with immigrant parents fueled my interest in law, politics, and civic engagement. I aspire to become an attorney in the future and hope to help and support marginalized groups of people. In the future, I also hope to empower and provide resources to Latino youth. During my free time, I love binge-watching new tv shows, re-watching my favorite tv shows, watching movies, and listening to music.

Vanessa Rangel

Hello! Hola! My name is Vanessa Rangel and I am a Mexican American. A little bit of background information about myself is that I was born and raised in Brooklyn. Both of my parents come from small towns in Puebla, Mexico. I’ve been fortunate enough to go down to Mexico multiple times.
This upcoming May I am honored to say I will be the first one in my family to graduate from college. I am currently pursuing a degree in Latin American and Latinx Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. My future career goal is to work with the Latino immigrant population in a major city. Possibly be a social worker in a non profit organization. I want to give back and help out my community. I believe this goal stems from how my parents were able to obtain their citizenship and other resources to improve their life. I would love to do the same and help out other families. I enjoy listening to music, especially Spanish music. My playlist can go from rancheras to cumbia to vallenatos to banda to trap to reggaeton to rock to bachata. As you can see my genres vary. I also listen to music in English but I prefer it to be in Spanish.

Yohanna Toribio

Welcome! My name is Yohanna Toribio Martinez, and I am an undergraduate at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I am majoring in Latin American and Latinx Studies with a minor in Counseling. I was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Uptown, Manhattan. My family moved to the United States in 2007. In May 2022, I will be the first one to graduate from a four-year university.
I invest my time in academics and giving back to my community. Therefore, this semester I look forward to joining more community-based clubs. By working at Inwood Community Service, Inc, and interning at the Safe Passage Project, I have developed an interest in Immigration Law. In that process, I discovered how much I love working with the youth. My long-term career goals are to become a Police Communication Technician and attend Law School. I aspire to work in the juvenile system or/and law enforcement.
My main hobby is learning about natural hair. One of my dreams would be to start a Youtube Channel and teach people how to take care of their natural curls. Growing up my textured hair was a big conversation in my culture. In the past three years, I have dedicated myself to breaking away from the idea that curly or kinky hair is “bad hair” or “pelo malo”. Today, I try to help my friends and family understand their natural hair by giving them recommendations.