CINTHYA ZAPATA

Hometown: Austin, Texas
School: Texas State University
Major: Social Work
Placement: The Office of Rep. Joaquin Castro

Cinthya was born in Toluca, Mexico, and immigrated with her mother to Austin, TX when she was 2 years old. As a DACA recipient and first-generation student, Cinthya understands the difficulties of navigating social and economic injustice. Her passion and commitment to social justice have been evident as a speaker at the Mexican American Cultural Center and immigration panel for Austin’s National Public Radio station, KUT.

Cinthya is a recent graduate of Texas State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Social Work. During her time at Texas State, she was invited to join the National Society of Leadership and Success and was an honor student of Phi Alpha. During her junior year, Cinthya served as an officer for the Organization of Student Social Workers, where she developed ideas centered around empowerment, inclusivity, and community engagement of social work students. Additionally, Cinthya was a research assistant for a project intended to identify methods of improving Latin*/Hispanic educational outcomes of undergraduate social work major students.

Her drive to broaden her knowledge and experience has led her to intern at Worker’s Defense Project, Girls Empowerment Network, and Communities in Schools. In her last semester at Texas State, Cinthya was an intern for U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett, where she assisted in casework with constituents and federal, state, and local agencies.

As a CHCI Intern, Cinthya hopes to build on her knowledge of working in a congressional office and familiarize herself with the legislative process. She hopes to use this experience to advocate for representation.