Making and Seeing a Difference: My Journey with UFW Begins

To start I was given the incredible opportunity to work for the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) which is an organization founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, and it was started to fight for farmworkers’ rights, raise wages, and improve working conditions for farmworkers. My first task was to review the United Farm Workers website and social media and describe which campaign resonated with me the most and why. This was a great assignment because I was able to learn more about the organization and why it was essential. This review not only brought back memories but also further ignited my passion to help and better my community. It is important to note that UFW addresses several significant issues and campaigns that I am deeply passionate about such as voting rights, workers' rights, and so forth, however, the campaign that resonated with me the most is farmworker legalization. This is due to my personal experience and desired career path, so it is honestly amazing to see that this organization is striving to improve, create a change, and advocate for these individuals. My tasks for the summer include, but are not limited to, speaking at press conferences-impromptu, providing and attending to provide testimony during legislative meetings, and mapping contact information for campaigns/record votes.

Within the short time, I have been here it was such a pleasure to meet and hear about individuals who are passionate looking to create social change. For example, my placement manager is Lionor Rosio Galindo Cardenas who was a former NMSHSA intern class of 2015, who serves as the Special Projects Coordinator. Hearing her story and her passion for organization is quite inspiring, and it is an absolute pleasure to have open communication and to have someone to only relate to but also look up to.  I feel as if this is a great organization to work for, and I would highly recommend it for individuals looking to work within the policy analysis, and government because it not only looks great on a resume, but you get to create connections and make a difference. Although this is my first week of working with UFW, I am already looking forward to advancing my personal and professional growth because UFW supports a cause I truly believe in.