Born and raised in Mexico City I was exposed to a type of extreme poverty not seen by many kids in the United States. I felt helpless and angry that I had food to eat and clean clothes and essentials that the people around me didn’t have. This was the catalyst for my interest in helping those around me.
When I entered Red Mountain High School in Mesa, I was surprised and frustrated that almost none of the clubs available made me feel like I was making a difference in my community. Luckily, in my junior year, my counselor introduced me to New Global Citizens. It was exhilarating to finally have a club where I not only had the opportunity to impact my community, but also where students were the driving force of the club instead of the teachers. In my senior year, I became president of the club and we decided to partner up with a grassroots organization in Southern Sudan and help raise funds for their well repair program, which would help provide access to clean water to over 150,000 people.
That same year, we educated over 2,000 community members on water scarcity. Moreover, we raised $2,500 for program causes and began an annual benefit concert to educate our school about global issues. But this success did not come without struggles. The biggest hurdles that we had to overcome were motivating people around our cause, maneuvering through school rules to plan innovative events to raise awareness, and to raise donations for events. With the tools, skills and support from NGC, we were able to overcome these challenges.
New Global Citizens gave me a set of skills that have allowed me to stand out among my peers and thus has opened doors to several opportunities that I would never have imagined. Moreover, NGC taught me to have a global mindset and allowed me to find my passion in the nonprofit sector, which has led me to where I am today. All in all, New Global Citizens has been an explosion of events that has shifted my outlook and empowered me to take charge of my life and change the world.
You are an inspiration to us all, Regina! Thanks for being such an incredible example of a New Global Citizen!
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