JSI Scholar: Alex Roque

The ability to receive a college education in the United States was one of the strongest factors in my family’s decision to migrate– and is a decision that I do not take lightly. I spent my first two years in community college, which showed me how powerful education could be and how accessible it should be. Working, studying, and bonding with people across all ages and backgrounds was a formative experience because it helped shape the lens through which I would see my new home, Seattle. Additionally, the smaller classes and flexibility of community college allowed me to form deeper connections with my community not just within an educational setting but also in community-based organizations and volunteer opportunities. The combination of CC and community involvement early on helped me realize exactly what I wanted to learn and do with my education, which is a clarity I bring as I work toward my Bachelor’s Degree in the UW.

I’m drawn to public policy and public service because of the desire to help immigrant families directly by navigating systems or finding necessary resources, as well as affecting change in immigration through public policy, starting at a local level. However, when I first moved to Seattle, I was willing to set aside my passions and interests for “traditional” and “stable” career paths. I thought that working in public policy and public service was just a dream that I’d eventually have to let go. But through working with organizations like OneAmerica or interning with the offices of Senator Murray and the City of Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, I realized that it was actually possible to pursue my passions as a career— that, in actuality, voices and stories like mine had a place in such fields.