CHCI-Walmart Intern
Hometown: Moore, Oklahoma
School: University of Rochester
Major: Political Science
Placement: The Office of Sen. Chuck Schumer
Sharline Rojo Reyes is the proud daughter of two Mexican immigrants. Born and raised in upstate New York, she understood the challenges her family and community of migrant dairy and farmworkers endured as low-income, undocumented immigrants. After her father was deported in 2007, her family relocated to a suburb in Oklahoma City. The odds let her parents instill their tenacity and hard work in her. The systemic inequality she witnessed inspired her passion for social justice and empowering underprivileged minorities.
Sharline is a rising junior at the University of Rochester studying political science. In the summer of 2017, she worked at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma as a Advocacy and Public Policy intern promoting and researching educational pieces for the Summer Food Service Program. While at Rochester, she mentored freshman Latino students in the Spanish and Latino Student Association by providing constructive feedback on their performance in college. She assisted the Rochester Police Department in an independent study, focusing on community engagement methods and analyzing effective approaches for evaluating policing metrics.
The summer of 2018, Sharline did research as a McNair scholar. Partnering with local government healthcare and social service agencies across upstate NY serving Spanish-speaking migrant workers, she assisted in recruiting bilingual prospects for front-line positions in these organizations. After undergrad, Sharline plans to pursue an M.P.P/JD degree to create change in immigration and refugee policies.
As a CHCI Intern, Sharline hopes to deepen her understanding of the legislative process. While gaining this experience, she hopes to strengthen her leadership skills to continue empowering and advocating against injustices in her community.