ernesto villasenor, jr

ernesto bw

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Ernesto is one of idec 2013’s coffee talkers:

idec 2013 coffee talkers

what matters to you: The Declaration of Independence has the following phrase, “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” written in it quite clearly, and the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of justice, but in the words of Tupac Shakur, one of my favorite rappers of all time, stated the following: “Lady Liberty Needs Glasses”. I cannot let more youth succumb to the injustices that plague our community- YA BASTA- as the Zapatistas said in the early 90’s. Enough is enough: injustices in education and public health need to end in these communities. 

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find/follow Ernesto:

ernesto site

My name is Ernesto Villasenor, Jr., and I am a first-generation college student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Class of 2014), majoring in Sustainability Studies/Pre-Law.

rensselaer site

[where Clay is – 2016]

I am also a recipient of the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship, which is a fully-funded scholarship for the rest of my college career. What I mean by fully-funded scholarship for the rest of my college career, I mean that I will have my undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees fully funded. Of course, with such prestigious scholarship comes great responsibilities: I have assisted hundreds of students throughout the nation with the scholarship application process(I created a Facebook group that apparently gained momentum through college forums). I also serve as an Ambassador to the scholarship, which I visit my alma matter and other secondary schools, promoting the prestigious scholarship and providing assistance to the students who are interested in the scholarship.

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Ernesto has been interning at the LA County Ed Foundation for the last year:

lacef via ernesto

about LACEF:

Established in 1996, the Los Angeles County Education Foundation (LACEF) is a 501(c)3 that strives to bridge education and health together to serve the unique needs of underserved children and youth of Los Angeles.  Throughout our longstanding history, LACEF has been dedicating financial and human resources to bring learning opportunities alive for the next generation in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), school districts, policymakers, nonprofit organizations, corporations and charities.

LACEF strives to fulfill our unique mission to:

  • Address the needs of underserved children and teens;
  • Remove barriers in the path of children and teens that limit their ability to learn, grow, live healthy, mature and prosper;
  • Broaden learning opportunities beyond the classroom and expand specialized education experiences in science and the environment; and
  • Partner with key stakeholders to successfully achieve our goal of helping kids get the most out of their education and help them prepare to be productive and self-supporting adults.

At LACEF, we INVEST in the future of our children; we BELIEVE that every child is worthy; and we CHAMPION on behalf of children and youth – society’s greatest asset.

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from LACEF site – congratulations to Ernesto for being an idec coffee talker:

congrats ernesto