CHCI- Walmart Congressional Intern
Hometown: Bronx, New York
School: State University of New York College at Geneseo
Major: Sociology
Placement: The Office of Representative Jose Serrano
Karla is a first-generation student at The State University of New York (SUNY) Geneseo studying Sociology and Political Science. She was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and migrated to the United States at the age of one with her mother. At Geneseo, Karla is a scholar in the Ronald E. McNair Program and JFEW-SUNY International Relations and Global Affairs Program (JFEW) and volunteers with the Migrante Intercambio de Lenguaje y Cultura (MILC) program to provide English language tutoring to immigrant dairy farm workers in the area. Karla is also a student research assistant for the Anthropology department at Geneseo, where she investigates structural obstacles Latino im/migrant farmworkers and their families face in accessing medical care in Western and Central New York.
Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Karla hopes to obtain either a master’s in Public Policy or a Juris Doctor degree. Inspired by the countless number of individuals that mentored and guided her while she was undocumented, her ultimate career goal is to become an immigration attorney and give back to the underrepresented community. Karla is also passionate about human rights and women’s empowerment. She has previously interned for two non-profit organizations located in New York City, Sanctuary for Families and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.
As a CHCI intern, Karla hopes to build her professional network and experience what it is like to work in a congressional office alongside other passionate individuals. To her, being a first-generation student not only means that she is the first in her family to attend college, but it also means that she must set the precedent for her sisters, extended family, and community members in her hometown of the Bronx.