Growing up, one of my greatest dreams was visualizing myself immersed in the subjects for which I am most passionate. Through my involvement in community college, I was able to build a community of individuals that believed in me and provided the foundation for my development as a leader.

Transferring to DePaul University, a mission-driven institution rooted in social justice, was by far one of the best decisions I made. Since arriving, I have become involved in leadership roles and an academic curriculum that has molded me into a socially responsible leader advancing social change through service. In my education, I directed my studies to understand human interaction, specifically through language, by taking an interdisciplinary approach to interacting with the world through my coursework in communication and education. The exposure to both fields ignited my passion of thinking globally and using my voice to transform lives and bridge achievement gaps through education.

During my time at DePaul, I have come to understand the world and leadership with new lenses than before. I initially never considered myself a leader because of the notion and false misconception I had of what a leader was. After immersing myself in a community of students and organizations at DePaul, I learned about serving leadership and very quickly resonated and began identifying to it.

Having this insight served as my lumier moment (as Vincent and Louise experience) as I was filled with a hunger to develop as a community builder and finding the spaces where I could best maximize my impact. Incorporating Vincentian teachings to my experience in my undergraduate education has given me invaluable knowledge and exposure to leadership, service, and community building which have ignited my desire to open up the same opportunities I was able to experience for people all over the world.

As a child, I never thought that I would have the opportunity to leave Mexico, let alone to study abroad. Having the opportunity to study abroad was able to gain the value of fostering mutual understanding, testing my beliefs, and creating the most effective conditions for seeking knowledge. Being able to be a part of the Vincentian Heritage Tour and experience Paris granted me the access to expand global and intercultural knowledge.

Learning about new cultures and understanding their way of life is a great interest of mine. I have noticed that our world is more connected than we think. Regardless of where you are in the world, you can find These experiences have established my confidence that education is a vehicle to social equity and sparked my motivation to improve suitable education programs around the world. My mission is to use my voice to work alongside with international governmental and educational institutions to protect the human rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized youth around the world. Like Vincent and Louise, I want to connect with the people that aim to change the world and encourage equity, peace, and prosperity.

There are profound difficulties in our world that create critical issues for our future. These concerns — which include security, environment, health, and education — require the responsiveness of everyone. When I realized this, I asked myself, “What must be done?” Like Vincent and Louise, I aim to dedicate my life to contribute my efforts to amplify the response of many issues that go unheard. My contribution to my field and masters program in international education is to address these concerns by advancing international development and citizenship within sustainable education programs. Through culturally appropriate education I, in collaboration with the community, propose to eradicate the source of these problems to avoid the reproduction of the vicious cycle of deprivation and inequity for the generations ahead. When we invest in educating youth, we are investing in our future, realizing this resulted in my focused interests in working with youth in developing regions. People can be taught to be contributing citizens towards the advancement of our social and economic world when we offer people the capabilities to do so. I will dedicate my life to foster the knowledge and skills needed to make our world just and civil through education programs. I will immerse myself in communities where I will recruit youth, secure finances, and build the infrastructure to fund education.

As a future international education development practitioner, my work and contribution to my field are to ensure every young person is enabled and encouraged to be positive change-makers in their communities. I will empower youth not only to be included but also to influence decision-making at all levels of society by voicing their opinion and advocating for change. Vincent and Louise saw the dignity in all humans and fought to ensure their voices were amplified and hear — which is what I am to do. To accomplish this, I will observe, practice, and improve upon existing international models of education. My objective is to develop education curricula that promotes education to prepare youth to increase their literacy, know their fundamental human rights, and the opportunity to mobilize in society. My intention is not to remove people from their community; rather I will encourage them to address the issues they hope to resolve by staying committed and invested to their unique community. I have witnessed education initiatives fail and deny access to many students because of their gender, citizenship status, socioeconomic background, and educational needs. The education programs I propose to construct will help build strategies that do not discriminate or exclude youth from receiving a quality education. By working alongside governments and education institutes, I aim to advocate to amend national and international laws and policies that are not inclusive and equitable for all.

As global citizens, we are responsible for the actions we take and the results they produce. If we have the ability to improve the lives of global youth, we have a responsibility to do so. Sustainable education is dependent on leaders and systems in all fields of society taking action for a prosperous world. Meaningful changes will occur when all of the systems are working in unison. I will integrate the Vincentian way to my career by promoting collaboration between world leaders, policy-makers, and researchers that would not have otherwise crossed paths. By sharing their expertise and contributing to the international development movement, those outside of my field will help build a more empathetic world where opportunities exist for all. Like the invitation to service that Vincent and Louise share, my career field invites anyone to make a contribution to advancing the prosperity of our world, therefore this is a call-to-action for all — including myself. Asking and answering the Vincentian question invites everyone to contribute to advancing the prosperity of our world, therefore this is a call-to-action for all — including myself. Similar to Vincent and Louise, we must support people from all backgrounds to live meaningful lives, especially underprivileged individuals. Social justice is the heartbeat of the world and the source of future leaders to raise, which is why I am to share the Vincentian values and mission I have been taught with everyone I encounter.

Originally published in “Vincentian Heritage Tour” on Medium.com.