Natalie Sanchez
Dominican University
Natalie Sanchez is a student committed to addressing under-served communities, especially immigrant communities. She has devoted her life to serving disadvantaged youth and will continue to do so when she becomes a social worker. Currently, she is working with immigrant adolescents assisting them to become "college ready." She understands that higher education is essential to solving local and national problems. She also recognizes that social change happens when people use their knowledge, their compassion, and their power to bring about justice for the common good. Her service and her leadership in the local community is empowering youth --- particularly under-served, immigrant youth, to become social change agents.
Personal Statement
Service has been a passion of mine since I was in middle school. I remember volunteering at my parish and helping raise funds for my school to be able to support and educate students. The experience mixed my love of education and service, culminating into a life-long passion for advocacy for education in under-served communities. To this day, I spend my time mentoring youth on academics. My love of knowledge and learning is something I want to pass on to communities that have historically been told "you cannot." The misconception that Latinxs cannot go to college, cannot become professionals, and cannot do anything about their marginalization is something I want to prove wrong. Currently, I try and serve as an example to the youth I mentor at Big Brothers Big Sisters and Our Lady of Tepeyac High School. Still, I plan on making a bigger impact on my community through my career as a social worker by gaining skill and knowledge to advocate for the marginalized and oppressed, especially as a Latina who has spent her life rejecting the words "you cannot."
