Hi Friends and Family!!

Welcome to my donation page!

I want to start by thanking everyone for donating and for taking the time to look at my page!

As many of you may already know I am graduating from Appalachian State University this semester. I will be graduating with a degree in International and Comparative Political Science and a minor in Sociology. My major has opened many doors for me and granted me the opportunity to travel in school, which I think is crucial to understanding our world.

I decided to become a Fellow with Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF), because of the importance of advocacy and community building. SAF, a non-profit, focuses on migrant farmworkers and their families all around North Carolina; and what better way to start my career than to start locally. Growing up the daughter of two immigrants exposed me to the thought that not everybody faces the same reality, which is completely fine. The problem with people not living the same realities is that we tend to negate those that we deem unrealistic. This is another reason why I am so excited to work for SAF this summer! It is good for us to integrate everyone in society and try and understand each other. SAF also has various focus areas; health, education, advocacy, etc, which is great because it allows interns and fellows to focus in on similar and/or different issues affecting the communities they are working in. My organization will be Wake Forest Health in Winston Salem, my hometown.

I feel like this is an amazing opportunity to begin local and advocate for a population that is often left unheard. From the day I learned about Cesar Chavez and the impacts that neoliberal policies have on agriculture, I have been interested in advocacy. I have always had an interest for migrant rights, also. Especially since I am the daughter of two immigrants, who I have seen struggle through the healthcare system, and other sector of public services. I hope to be able to start my long career in advocacy with your help! SAF is a non-profit, and that means donations are the only way that we can get funding to help do research and advocate for migrant farm working communities.

I have already donated $25! Will you join me?
There are three ways to donate: in person, online (https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/saf/donation.jsp?campaign=71&fundraiser=134670, or by clicking the 'donate' button above), or by check. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at chavezlariosms@appstate.edu. Thank you so much!