alumni
Krissa
At a young age, I often felt like a powerless spectator. The possibility of fulfilling my desires to change my surroundings appeared impossible living in a country ravaged by poverty. So, when I first came to the United States, I was overwhelmingly surprised of the endless opportunities there were for young people to be civically engaged and to be involved in public service. At the age of 13, I quickly learned about the idea of social change and civic engagement by joining with Girls For A Change (GFC) in Silicon Valley.
As a member of GFC Girl Action Teams for five years, I have helped to organize various social change projects. I organized a speakers’ series for young women aspiring to be professionals, and created after-school activities for middle school girls in response to the California school budget cuts. In addition, I helped to create a video to raise awareness about the influence of media on relationships. Through GFC, I have gained a sense of efficacy by empowering those around me and advocating for the community.
In the process of implementing several social change projects, I was challenged to identify the root cause of problems and to think analytically. In GFC, I had many opportunities to voice my concerns to community members and tackle issues with a social change perspective. My involvement in the Silicon Valley Girl Steering Committee and National Board of Directors also developed my ability to lead in various environments. Serving as an agent of social change in my community, inspired me to closely examine issues of injustice, to challenge various institutions, to express my opinions, and to act.
My interest in social justice has grown tremendously over the past several years, and it is for this reason that I intend to be an agent of change in both the non-profit sector and business sector. I plan to be a leader in these sectors because I have a passion for creating projects that help promote and assist the public. Ideally, I would like to combine all of my fields of interest in the hope that I can make a significant and lasting change in community. By being involved in these various sectors, I will have the opportunity to be an advocate for issues concerning social justice and to influence public policy. The non-profit and business sectors have tremendous power to affect all aspects of our society, and thus contribute meaning to my life. For the past five years, I have maturely developed as a social entrepreneur in the San Francisco Bay Area Community. Given the new profound knowledge I have gained in Girls For A Change, I am committed to be an influential leader who is ready to address issues of inequity, and to create positive change that reaches out to the world community.
Krissa Quero is a sophomore at the University of San Francisco.