For All The Trailblazers Before Me

Name: Jacquelyn I. Gonzalez

Associate Director of Governmental & Community Relations, UCR

Masters of Public Policy Candidate '18

Growing up as the youngest of five in a Mexican immigrant and mixed-status family, it was instilled in me at a very young age that I would have opportunities in life that my parents and siblings would not have access to. During most of my childhood and adolescence, I experienced my parents and siblings living in the shadows. It was overcoming our obstacles as a mixed-status family and the path towards the American dream that shaped me into the person that I am today and the person that I continue to strive to be in the future. Although I did not know it then, I now understand the social responsibility of being a voice for those communities, much like my own, living in the shadows and through that, overcoming my own fears and barriers as a professional, student, and public servant. Nevertheless, in each chapter and season, starting from my undergraduate experience to working in Congress to now representing UCR as both a graduate student and staff member, I would not be standing where I am today were it not for the trailblazers before me. The fierce womxn, people of color, first-generation students, and professionals that opened the doors for me to accomplish more than anything my family and I could have ever dreamt of. I dedicate my story to them and hope to clear the path for more young womxn and people of color to lean into leadership and advocacy for their own communities.

#whotellsyourstory #mastersstudent #mixedstatusfamily #staff #trailblazers