Jenny Alcaide: Blogs

Jenny's Blog on CHCI Conference Week

The most impressive aspect of the CHCI Public Policy Conference has definitely been the Gala. I will never forget watching President Obama speak, and hearing him mention the fellows that work tirelessly in the White House. His key message came loud and clear, "We know that here in America, we only progress as one nation, as one people. We know that here in America we rise or fall together," Obama said, adding, "Our success has always depended on our willingness to see our challenges as one we have to face together, our willingness to live up to a simple ideal: Todos somos Americanos." The issue that has had the most impact on me is immigration reform. Being a child of Mexican immigrants and growing up in a Hispanic immigrant community in New York City, I have seen numerous individuals struggle with the hard and difficult process of living in America without legal citizenship. I was born in what is today considered the capital of the world only because of a faithful decision that my parents made to abandon their impoverished town in Mexico, and I have adopted not only the customs and identity of what it means to be an American but also the advantages that come along with it. Sec. Hilda Solis and Senator Menendez touched on this concept of immigration reform and how our immigration system is broken. Our values are tarnished when we allow 12 million human beings to live in the dark shadows of abuse as undocumented immigrants, and Sen. Menendez had the biggest impact in understanding how immigration reform affects the Latino community. Attending the CHCI conference is such a valuable experience, and I would recommend every young Latino who is interested in public policy to attend. There were so many amazing speakers gathered in one place, it was an unforgettable experience. Conference week has enhanced my knowledge of how policy gets formulated in many different ways. I gathered information from all the different speakers, which included Secratary Solis, Secretary Duncan, Senator Menendez and many other Congressmembers, and have realized how dedicated they all are to public service.