Vicente Esparza Ortiz
Mesa Community College
Vicente Esparza Ortiz, a third year student at Mesa Community College (MCC), is a prominent civic servant leader. For the last three years he has worked closely with community partners, partnership specialists, community organizations, and non profit organizations to solve complex social issues in the community. He has served with AmeriCorps, City of Mesa 2020 CensusTask Force, Mesa United Way, and Feed My Starving Children to name a few. On his campus Vicente has worked with many departments including the Center for Community & Civic Engagement (Civic Action Team/ MCC Votes Team, MCC Engagement Team, Up To Us, and Community Engagement Advisory Board), Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and Institutional Advancement. He plans to join the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Board for the 2021-2022 academic year. Through his servant leadership and unwavering commitment to his college and community, Vicente has demonstrated that he is deeply rooted in solving social issues that his community and college encounter. Over the course of three years he has tackled social issues including poverty, homelessness, hunger and food insecurity, sustainability, redistricting, fair representation of minorities in the 2020 Census, the national debt, and voting rights through voter registration & voter education.
Personal Statement
I became active in addressing social issues by getting involved on campus as a student worker in the Center for Community & Civic Engagement. From there the possibilities to engage in my community and campus were endless. I joined Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, which engaged me in an Honors in Action Project where I became a 2020 Census Ambassador. As my college experience continued I was introduced to many organizations that align with my goal to become a servant leader of influence. Through my experiences I have grown invaluable skills that have prepared me for life and leadership. I have found that the community engagement work that I do is pivotal to being a changemaker. A quote that has resonated with me throughout my college experience is, “find the need, take the lead, do the deed.” No matter what leadership position I hold, I will always strive to find the needs in my community and tackle those issues head on through direct service and servant leadership.
