Elvira Ponce León’s Post

This is truly a great day, and one I couldn’t have dreamt of when I started working tuition equity for immigrant students in 2003… Thanks to the bold leadership of Office of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, immigrant students living in Massachusetts will now be able to not only pay the same tuition rates as their classmates but also access financial aid to actually be able to enroll. Over the past two decades I have met brilliant and hardworking young people who desperately want to grow, contribute and help shape their communities. And in that time while In State Tuition bills languished, many kept fighting and working towards their degrees one credit at a time for years, some abandoned their educational pursuits and tragically some gave up on life altogether. I cannot overstate the importance of letting all of our young people know they are seen and valuable and providing pathways for them to find their voice and place. Thank you to the students and community leaders that persisted and continued to fight for access all of these years and to all the college presidents, unions, advocacy organizations and leaders who fought for our young people despite shifting political landscapes and polarization. Thank you Gov. Healey for investing in our youth and in all of our bright collective future! #equityineducation #inclusion #immigrantrights #equity #publicpolicy https://lnkd.in/gTfWgYxN

I was honored to join one of my heroes, the indefatigable Marshall Ganz along with my incredible co-panelists Carlos Quintero, Doris Gutiérrez and Santiago Creuheras, to discuss Si se Puede: estrategias para organizarse y cambiar el mundo (https://a.co/d/a5t0JjA). It was a privilege to share space with these incredible leaders to discuss the organizing strategies we have learned and applied to create change in small and big ways throughout our careers. I’m so glad Marshall’s teachings have been captured in print, in Spanish, and geared towards a Latin American context. We have so much work to do with our people for our region, but I am inspired by knowing that there are so many out there to do it with! Thank you to the incredible Harvard University Mexican Association of Students (HUMAS) for hosting and for the invite! Si podemos!

This morning I joined a panel discussion on "Bridging Divides With Inclusive Policymaking” at the Mackinac Policy Conference. It was an honor to join Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II , Isabel Medellin of Steelcase, and AP Correspondent Kat Stafford to discuss how "bridging" through meaningful engagement and community empowerment can improve transparency, build trust, and result in sustainable policy outcome. Detroit Regional Chamber #equity #inclusion #policymaking #community #MPC23

Many thanks to Lydia DePillis at Propublica.org for a great article and hard work. Well done!