I come from a long line of farmworkers. My grandparents and then my mom worked in the strawberry fields

Power Station

For many students, college internships are a rite of passage, an opportunity to experience different workplaces and enhance their resumes. They are even more meaningful when the interns are first-generation Latino college students whose immigrant parents are America’s farmworkers. In this episode of Power Station, I continue a tradition that I cherish, interviewing exceptional young people whose life trajectories are flourishing through their connections to the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association. Isaac Ramon Peña and Berenice Verdugo talk about the migrant Head Start programs that impacted their lives, providing a safe space while their parents worked the fields, starting at 4am, as well as educational enrichment that made them kindergarten ready. They recognize that NMSHSA is a vital support system for Migrant Head Start Centers and a singular resource for their parents, from bringing the USDA Farmworker Relief Program to life to promoting well-being through the Vaccine Project. Isaac and Berenice are thrilled to be learning about policymaking and advocacy through their placements with the United Farm Workers and UnidosUS. And they shout out NMSHSA’s incredible team, for helping them navigate their first time to Washington, DC, including, of course, the incomparable Cleofas Rodriguez. IYKYK.