Activities

Founder and President of the Venezuelan Student Association

In all my time as an FIU student, there was nothing more rewarding than serving as president of the Venezuelan Student Association. As a founding member, we established the club with the objective of uniting Venezuelans within the university, connecting to the greater Miami community, and promoting our culture to our fellow students. As president, I succesfully planned and executed various events including collaborations with local event venues to host Venezuelan music nights where all proceeds went to NGOs in Venezuela; salsa classes; beach clean ups; barbecues; soccer tournaments; academic events discussing current events; and many more.

Founder and President of FIU's American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

I also founded FIU's American Civil Liberties Union. This club was originally founded to advocate and educate FIU's students about civil liberties and protections. Since then, we have evolved to be a space where students can meet and have civil discourse about important topics facing our country and campus. Some of my favorite events have included a toy drive for unacompannied migrant children in shelters; know your rights trainings; get out to vote events; and town halls.

Argentina Study Abroad

As part of my studies within the Kimberly Green Latin American and Carribean Center, I studied abroad in Buenos Aires Argentina. Staying with a local family, I was able to fully immerse myslef in the culture while taking classes about Argentine politics, history, and culture. Our class content included a deep dive into modern politics like Argentina's president, Javier Millei, as well as Peronism and the period of the military dictatorship. To accompany our class content, we also had daily activities. The most notable included the InterAmerican Institute for Democracy Conference; visiting the grounds of the UN peacekeeping missions; and riding down Rio de La Plata on an Argentinian Navy ship.

Fellowship with the Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Dominican Republic

I participated in the Adam Smith Center's Fellowship with Victor Bisóno, the minister of Industry and Commerce of Dominican Republic. This experience have me invaluable insight into governance, especially in my region of interest that has so many particularities. In the 5 classes, we spoke about how to make bureacracy more effective, how to stimulate markets, how to foster trade while protecting domestic industries/ production, the importance of providing judicial and economic stability, and the role that AI is taking in government. This class not only gave me a newfound appreciation for innovation in the field, but it also inspired my LACCAPALOOZA pitch.

Bureau Flow.pdf

LACCAPALOOZA

LACCAPALOOZA is a student competition that fosters creativy and innovation within Latin America. We were encouraged to identity a problem within Latin America and develop a sustainable solution. We then presented our project to a panel of judges from diverse organizations including the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and The Green Foundation. As group leader, I sought to address the problem of lack of identification within vulnerable populations in the Dominican Republic. Without access to identification, citizens are barred from social benefits and formal employment. Our solution was an AI-driven system that combines mobile kiosks and an application to make bureacratic processes more efficient and accessible. Our team ultimately won the competiton with the most money collected from investors as well as the most votes. Attached is our presentation.

Internship with CAIR

Outside of FIU, I immersed myself in global opportunities. My internship at the Council of American-Islamic Relations was perhaps one of the most influential. Although I am not muslim or arabic, it exposed me to how similar some of the problems that face both communities are, especially in reference to immigration. As a non-profit, we served anyone who needed legal assistance and could not afford it. This included people from the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. As an immigration law intern, I regularly did client intakes and helped with completing paperwork. The work introduced me to a more "legal side" of politics, taught me how to navigate USCIS, and put me in contact with diverse individals with different stories.

Events with Faculty

Within global learning's "one-point" opportunities, I attended an event hosted by the Venezuelan Student Association with Dr. Gamarra, an expert in the international relations of drug trafficking. The event went over the idea of securitization in regards to "Tren de Aragua". By framing Venezuela as a national security issue, the Trump administration was able to justify intervention within the Latin country. It is interesting to see from an academic perspective how the topics that I have learned in class can be applied to governance.

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