CARLOS BERNAL

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
School: DePauw University
Major: Sociology

Carlos Bernal was born and raised in Chicago, IL by his mother who immigrated to the United States from México at the age of 19. As the first person in his family to graduate high school and go onto attend college, Carlos understands the difficulty it is for other first-generation college students. On-campus, he has worked with the Connections Mentor Program (CMP) as a mentor to first-generation college students on their transition to college. Furthermore, he was president of the first-generation organization on campus, where he helped other students connect and form a strong community. Carlos has always pushed himself to learn new ways of becoming a stronger leader in and out of his community.
Carlos is a rising senior at DePauw University, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Political Science. Upon completing his undergraduate career, Carlos will be attending law school. His ultimate career goal would be to become a member of Congress. Carlos hopes to use his diverse liberal arts education and professional experience to help create positive societal change.

As a CHCI participant, Carlos hopes to expand his knowledge on the legislative process, as well as gain more knowledge on different societal reform initiatives. He hopes to be able to use this experience to gain more leadership skills and make a difference back in his community.