Student News

I have been a feminist for 20 years, and due to the insecurity in my city, Acapulco, Guerrero Mexico, I had to leave with my son and daughter in March 2020, just when the COVID 19 emergency began. Half of my life I have dedicated myself to defending women's rights. I have been a survivor of sexual violence since I was very young and I was always sure that I wanted to help others survive. 

When I arrived in Portland I had a deep sadness for having left my city, my country, my friends, my family and my organizational colleagues. I was sure that I couldn't do it anymore here, due to the enormous barrier of not speaking the language. For a few months and after declaring the emergency everything changed. My children and I were scared of being in a place that was not ours, of meeting new people, but above all of not speaking English. Even though I lived a few meters away from PCC, it was very difficult for me to find a place to start studying, I was convinced that I could learn, and I was convinced that if I learned maybe I would have a chance of finding a job that had to do with with my experience and with my passion. 

After a lot of searching and sending several emails, someone answered me and showed me the way to apply to Portland Community College. There I met Sara Packer, my first-level English teacher, and I think that gave everything a different direction. She became not only my teacher but also a guide. She brought me closer to many resources and above all she encouraged me to continue. 

After two years, without a pandemic and with a basic level of English, I decided to start looking for a job to follow my passion. I found UNICA, which is part of The Hispanic Program that serves survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, and the best thing for me is that they serve the Latino population. Now I have been working on this wonderful program for a year, with incredible people. UNICA has a helpline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Everyday we receive calls mainly from women who are looking for help to begin to escape the violence exerted mainly by their partners or ex-partners. Every day we hear terrible stories about sexual, economic, verbal and of course physical abuse. And all this added to the terrible monster of migration. 

At UNICA, people find other people who understand the barriers they face and we accompany them to overcome them. We navigate the system with them to find resources that can help us get out of the cycle of violence. The vast majority do it with their sons and daughters, so many ideas and many resources are needed to keep families safe. My position at this moment is that of an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, so apart from listening to the participants, I accompany them, but above all from my experience I understand them, I do not judge them and rather I work so that they find their place again, feel their own power and have a new beginning, free of violence. 

Anyone who is experiencing sexual or domestic violence can call our support line, the number is 503-232-4448, we will answer in Spanish and provide guidance on what the first steps may be. No person deserves to have violence in their life, and we all have the responsibility to prevent it, even with small daily actions, such as just listening without judging, because it is always different for everyone. Another thing you can do is, if you know someone, just give them this number so they can make that call:  503-232-4448.