The Alliance Junior State of America (JSA) chapter of Alliance Collins Family College Ready High School in Huntington Park won the JSA National Championship of the Year, making them national champions.
It is thanks to the efforts of English teacher and JSA club advisor Kip Morales and the tremendous commitment and leadership of the students that the chapter achieved this victory.
Searching for an organization that would provide a space for its students to take a leadership role, Morales discovered the JSA program.
This program gives young people the confidence to apply what they learn in class and encourages them to create real change in their communities, as well as at the state level.
“It’s extremely rewarding, but a bit stressful because I have to guide them through the discomfort of going out and meeting people who come from different walks of life,” Morales said.
With more than 400 chapters located in 35 states and eight territories, JSA is focused on political and civic engagement. Through conventions and debates, students seek innovative solutions to the problems facing the nation and thus make society a better place.
JSA is made up of several sections, all based on activism. JSA girls is a group that focuses on the empowerment of women. The Student Bill of Rights seeks to provide the tools necessary for every student to be successful in the classroom.
The journalism group seeks to highlight different political issues. Lastly, members are encouraged to participate in volunteer work and participate in civic action within their community and throughout the state.
Daisy Solis and Amber Montoya are two twelfth graders who played key roles within the chapter.
Solís who acts as the regional vice mayor and advocacy director runs a campaign for the Los Angeles region.
It is through her role as a student campaign organizer for local elected officials that Solís was able to renew already outdated textbooks to take the AP class exam.
Also, remember that they initially denied her request, however, it was through a bill passed in 2020 with the Alliance school board that not only managed to provide new books, but also established the student bill of rights, which provides students with an equitable education.
The young leader also managed to pass a bill that established a student research center to help students print things for free.
“Sometimes printing something for a dollar can be a burden, so we wanted to make sure that young people could do it. [sin costo alguno] and have academic success,” Solís said.
Similarly, the young Montoya who acts as the vice president and chief of staff, has plans to add new groups for the next year, as well as expand others; Furthermore, she prides herself on having been able to lead 16 different groups with 5 students each and she hopes to come back this year and do it again.
Through JSA, both young women have managed to acquire the necessary skills to succeed in what is to come, as is the case of Montoya, who overcame her fear of public speaking and even won two awards for best speaker.
?Before I joined the JSA, I was very shy. I didn’t really know how to communicate with my teachers and was struggling, but when I joined the program I was able to spread my wings. I developed this voice that I didn’t know I had before? Montoya said.
Both have experienced what it’s like to be part of the political environment, resulting in valuable connections with officials across the state and earning an internship with Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer and Councilmember Curren D. Bryce.
Through this internship they have been able to put into practice everything they learned at JSA and speak with other constituents within the community. Your duties include informing your councilor about the current needs of the community and helping to improve the city and state district.
Audrey Landeros, another student who played a crucial role as chapter president, graduated last June and was accepted with a full trip to Yale. Assigned to the public rights division, she works with new attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto at City Hall. Another member currently works with Jimmy Gomez, California’s 34th congressional district, as a caseworker in his community.
Morales, who first brought the JSA program eight years ago, recalls that originally only ten students were part of the program. With each passing year, the number of students has grown, last year 103 of the 600 students in the student body joined the group.
Having won the national title, Morales hopes her students have learned that despite the differences they faced throughout the day, they were always capable of achieving it.
?Most of the students -in the competition- come from an environment of greater economic and social advantage, so they don’t mix with many students of Latino origin,? said Morales.
Both Solís and Montoya managed to highlight their Mexican and Salvadoran identity through conventions giving cultural presentations in which they shared with other chapters cracklingsa popular street food made from fried wheat.
At the events, most of the attendees tried the snack for the first time, and in doing so, Solís and Montoya were able to teach a very valuable lesson: be proud of who they are and where they come from.
?We gain something that is not given to us often, it is very revealing. Even though we come from an economically disadvantaged place, it doesn’t mean we can’t. It does not mean that we are not as talented, as smart or that we are not the same because we are. This only proves it more,” Solís said.
In the future, Solís hopes to make the JSA more accessible to low-income students or students who do not have the financial support to attend these conventions.
With the convention coming up in Washington DC, he wants to make sure students can access these opportunities, especially since the cost can run into the hundreds of dollars and doesn’t include food or transportation.
Another of her goals is to design the first regional website where she would create a planning event itinerary that would bring people together and inspire in the same way that, she confesses, JSA inspired her and led her to find her passion for political science.
For Montoya, alike, the biggest reward has been seeing his efforts pay off and he ultimately hopes to leave a lasting mark for future chapters.
Similarly, Morales shares how rewarding it has been as he remembers the dreams and aspirations his grandfather had when he immigrated to the United States from Sonora, Mexico.
“See how my grandfather could and my father could and I could, now my students can become a very complex part of this nation,” Morales explained.
?This nation needs Latinos to step up and bring their culture and bring their voice. It goes back to the dream my grandfather had and I see the same dreams my students have; that all Latinos can pass – from yes we can, to yes we could?.