by Cassandra Guerrero
Jessica Silva joined PJALS through the EWU Social Work program for an internship with a community organizing perspective. Jessica chose a Social Work Degree because for five years of her life she lived in Mexico and saw all the hardships that people had to endure on a day-to-day basis and wondered how those people got there in the first place, then when she moved to the United States she was given the opportunity to gain an education. That’s when she knew she wanted to understand how to help people when they are most vulnerable.
Jessica chose to do her internship here because she believes “in order to make a difference in this world we must work as a group and in peace.” Jessica loves “listening to the different stories and ideas people bring to the organization as well as learning about different eras and cultures” and the unity that the organization has among its own members. Jessica is involved with Smart Justice Spokane, militarism, Young Activist Leaders Program (YALP), and is currently working on the Transgender Day of Remembrance with Spokane TALL. She is not limited to just those issues alone because she wants to learn about the other social, human, and economic problems PJALS works on and has been doing her own research on such topics.
Throughout Jessica’s four years at EWU she has been part of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A) and Kappa Delta Chi Sorority. She even has gained experience and knowledge from other organizations in planning events, lobbying, petition signing, and peacekeeping. She has participated in many different issues such as co-planning the May 1st march for immigration rights, petition signing, and lobbying in Olympia.