Luis Alfonso Torres
I am the son of a migrant farmer and a caring Mexican teacher. My parents emigrated here in 1980.
The affirmative action policies that have mostly affected the Latino community, I would say, are those dealing with the recruitment efforts. Getting students from high school to attend universities, to enroll in universities, to stay at universities of their choice, allowing them that access that they would not have otherwise if it weren't for these efforts.
Worse case scenario, without affirmative action: I think that I would have either gone directly into the work force to try to contribute something to my family in terms of income, which I think is something very noble, but nontheless, education I think is the better path for all students.
Affirmative action benefits everyone. We are all connected. We cannot live in a society of disassociated individuals. We live together, we grow together, we learn together and when everyone comes together and shares their experiences and shares their life we see that we are indeed all connected, that what we do affects each other and this is how we build a society that cares and that can heal and that can love each other. This is the only way that we include everyone and it is when everyone is included that we see that we are tied together.
My name is Luis Torres. I am a Latino. I go to Georgetown University here in Washington.
