CHCI-Motorola Intern
Hometown: West Valley City, Utah
School: University of Utah
Major: Honors Information Systems
Placement: The Office of Rep. Marcia Fudge
Francisco Juarez was born in Veracruz, Mexico, and brought to the United States by his parents when he was six months old. As a first-generation undocumented student, Francisco has experienced the hardships that stem from a broken immigration system. These experiences inspired him to work towards improving the lives of the undocumented community, along with that of other marginalized groups. As a junior in the Honors College at the University of Utah, Francisco is currently majoring in information systems. He is passionate about using technology as a tool to work towards comprehensive immigration reform and as a means to encourage underrepresented individuals to pursue a higher education. Francisco serves as a mentor for the First Ascent Scholars, where he tutors students in business related courses and provides mentorship through academic advising. He has also worked as an Enterprise Resource Planning Intern at Intermountain Healthcare while working closely with the information systems project manager.
In addition, Francisco is a founding member of The Network, an honors scholars group that focuses on the success of first-generation students, and arranges volunteering events to assist marginalized groups in learning about higher education opportunities. Francisco was the first Scholarship America Dream Award Recipient from Utah, and was also selected to be part of the RISE Grad Prep Academy, a program through the University of Pennsylvania that equips male students of color with the tools to pursue a Ph.D. in education.
As a CHCI Intern, Francisco hopes to further develop his leadership skills and increase his understanding of public policy. After he obtains his bachelor’s degree, Francisco plans on going to law school, and eventually working towards a Ph.D. in education. He hopes to become an immigration attorney and later conduct research that will lead to desirable policy changes for the undocumented community.