Fresno State University

I am a first generation college student majoring in Kinesiology with goals to work in healthcare. My goal is to build generational wealth and lifetime connections with the people in my community. I am interning at Central Valley workers center because I want to connect with the people within my own community and try to make a difference by providing them the same opportunities and resources as everyone else. Community outreach is about giving, contributing, and helping those who cannot help themselves. It also allows us to influence younger generations to give back to the community as well and It helps the community grow exponentially. It feels amazing to be a part of a project that is so involved with connecting our communities.

Resident: Fresno County

Fresno State University

My name is Alyssa Cortes. I am a Freshman at Fresno State University majoring in Forensic Behavioral Sciences with the goal of becoming a forensic scientist. I am doing this project to help bring awareness to the COVID virus and unite the community for a safer future.

Resident: Fresno County

Colegio Del Centro

I currently attend El Colegio del Centro in Zac, Mx. Once I graduate high school I plan to study in college to have a degree in finance. Working with the CVWC taught me that I could be a good team member, my goal here was to learn as much as I could about this environment to see what I liked and what I didn’t. After being here for 3 months and working alongside different team members I have not only gained knowledge but also built confidence in my community organizing skills. The Central Valley Workers Center gave me the proper skills which has helped me become more proactive and involved in my community.

Resident: Fresno County

Fresno City Community College

Frida Barreras immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was only a couple months old. She lived her childhood in Fresno and Bakersfield until she moved back to Mexico for 7 years and came back to Fresno when she was 15 years old. Frida is now attending Fresno City College hoping to transfer to Fresno State University this upcoming Fall to keep working on her Civil Engineering degree. She is involved with the Fresno City College Dream Center which has assisted her in gaining valuable information to keep attending college.

Resident: Fresno County

Fresno State University

Flor Barreras was born in Sinaloa, Mexico and moved to Fresno when she was 2 years old. She is the oldest of three and daughter to immigrant parents. She lived most of her childhood in Fresno and Bakersfield CA until she moved back to Mexico at 10 years old and returned to Fresno when she was 16 years old. She is a student at Fresno State University and wants to keep working on pursuing her dream of becoming a physical therapist. She loves sports like volleyball and basketball and her dream job is to be a physical therapist for a sports team.

Resident: Fresno County

Fresno State University

Gregoria was born in Guerrero, Mexico and came to the U.S. at the age of 10 years old. As many of our immigrants, one of the challenges she faced was learning the language. She is the first in her family to graduate from a 4-year university. She graduated from California State University, Fresno where she earned her Bachelor of Arts as a Liberal Studies major. She loves helping her community and working with students. She currently holds an internship at an elementary school where she hopes to earn as much experience for her future career.

Resident: Fresno County

Fresno State University

Karina was born and raised in Madera, CA. She is the daughter of immigrants parents, being the eldest daughter and also will be the first to graduate from a 4 year university. Karina graduated from Madera High School in 2019 and is currently attending Fresno State and majoring in Political Science. Throughout high school, Karina was part of a youth group called Madera Youth Leaders, which helped her stay active in her community but also made her want more positive changes. Through this group she got more involved with politics, which made her want to pursue this career. Karina hopes to graduate college with a BA in Political Science.

Resident: Madera County

Fresno State University

Lizeth is a first generation college student, middle child out of four siblings. She is currently in the medical assisting field where she hopes to help assist with the hardships this pandemic has brought us. She is attending Fresno City College. Lizeth will continue her education to pursue the journey of becoming an Occupational therapist in the future.

Resident: Fresno County

Sacramento State University

My name is Luis Corona I will be attending California State University, Sacramento as a freshman. My Major will be mechanical engineering. I chose to join the COVID outreach because I wanted to help people get vaccinated and also gain experience.

Resident: Madera County

Fresno State University

My name is Omar and I am a Junior at Fresno State. I am double-majoring in Political Science and Philosophy. My career goal is to become a college professor or high school teacher. I was interested in becoming part of this project because it is managed by an organization that values social progress and equity.

Resident: Fresno County

Fresno State University

Oscar Venegas-Jacobo is a lifelong Fresno resident. He is the third son of Mexican immigrants and has helped his family navigate life in the United States while learning it with them. As the oldest of three siblings in the U.S., he has made every effort to show his younger siblings that no dream is out of reach with enough determination. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school and earn a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fresno State. Oscar saw these achievements as stepping stones to his current goal, practicing immigration law. He is aiming to attend an ABA accredited law school and go on to help those who are in a similar situation as him. Oscar recognizes the social and economic obstacles which may impede those who come after him from reaching their own potential and is determined to remove those obstacles, whatever they may be.

Resident: Fresno County

Fresno City Community College

Sheila Gaytan is a resident of Fresno and grew up in Reedley, California as an only child. She is currently attending Fresno City College as a sophomore and is hoping to transfer to a UC such as UC Irvine or UC San Francisco. Her major is currently biology with the dream of being a level two trauma nurse or surgery nurse. She also seeks to minor in Film production and media.

Resident: Fresno County