English Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez was a prolific community organizer and a champion of social change. He used ten core values to guide his life. Using one or more of these core values with which you most identify, please discuss how you have contributed to equity and social justice at UC San Diego. How will you apply Cesar’s core values to create positive change in the Latinx community and the greater society?
Sample Solution
I most identify with the core value of selflessness, which states that “we need to be concerned about others more than we are concerned about ourselves.” I have strived to embody this in my work for social justice and equity at UC San Diego by creating and participating in many programs that focus on giving back to the community and advocating for people who may not have the same resources or access as those from other backgrounds.
For example, during my freshman year, I joined a student-run organization dedicated to providing career development opportunities for underrepresented students. Through this organization, I was able to mentor incoming freshmen as well as host workshops on topics such as resume building and internship searching. By providing these resources, I was able to help level the playing field between different groups of students so that everyone had access to additional knowledge and training when it came time to enter their desired job market or pursue higher education opportunities. Additionally, while serving as an executive board member of another student group at UC San Diego focused on Latinx identity formation and awareness raising, I organized several activities including book clubs with discussions surrounding Latinx authorship and activism within our greater society. All of these events were meant not only to educate members but also foster a sense of belonging amongst all individuals regardless of ethnicity or socio-economic background.
Cesar Chavez's core values are timeless; they will continue being relevant long after his passing due to their ties with advocating for social change through service towards others. As a leader in various organizations across campus whose mission is centered around cultivating empathy and instilling confidence into minority populations ,I hope that I can follow Chavez’s example in order create positive changes within the Latinx community by continuing my commitment towards uplifting those around me – whether through providing them with educational resources or emotional support – so that they too can thrive academically and professionally despite any setbacks they might face due external factors outside their control. Furthermore, if given the chance, I would like use Cesar’s teachings promote understanding between different cultures in order build bridges across communities throughout San Diego county by helping organize dialogues between diverse groups who may initially appear disconnected from one another because of language barriers or other obstacles but ultimately strive for similar goals regarding societal progress .