CHCI–Walmart Intern
Hometown: Mission, Texas
School: Michigan State University
Major: Social Relations & Policy
Placement: The Office of Rep. Veronica Escobar
Jessica Gonzalez’s aspirations are to expand the educational opportunities for all Latino children and those who are pursuing a higher education. She is a proud daughter of undocumented immigrants who left everything behind in Mexico to provide her with more opportunities. Those opportunities have steered her to a career in service to her community.
Jessica is a senior studying Social Relations and Policy at Michigan State University and is looking forward to becoming an educator in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. Her journey will begin in the classroom but will not end there. She understands that federal education policy is a key leverage point for improving education and looks to work on efforts that break down barriers to educational opportunities for the next generation of Latino students. Jessica looks to serve as the first Latina Commissioner of Education in the Texas Education Agency and ultimately aspires to be the first Latina U.S. Secretary of Education.
As a CHCI intern, Jessica hopes to gain first-hand experience on the inner workings of Capitol Hill, the political knowledge, and the networks that will allow her to better affect change within the education system for those communities that have been historically underserved, including Latinos.