MIGUEL BLANCARTE, JR.

We recently asked Mikva Challenge Alumnus, Miguel Blancarte Jr, to share a few things about his experiences at Mikva Challenge, and here is what he had to say:

At 16, I learned that there was no room for political apathy.  I joined Mikva Challenge in the Fall of 2003, during my junior year at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.  I have always been a believer of civic participation and youth engagement, and Mikva further encouraged this belief of mine.

I still remember riding a bus through Illinois and Wisconsin in the cold months of 2004 doing campaign work for my candidate for President.  With my gloves on and an emotional drive set on go, I campaigned with fellow Mikva leaders and we were able to get out the vote in Wisconsin.

I was fortunate to have been selected to participate in Mikva's Summer Government Leadership Institute during the Summer of 2005 working with Illinois State Representative Cynthia Soto. This was an eye-opening experience for me, it gave me the opportunity to gain a better insight of politics, and see the behind the scenes work.  That summer, I not only assisted a politician, but I was also able to learn about social injustices and American history.  At the end of the summer, we took a trip to Alabama and Mississippi and commemorated and remembered the life of Emmitt Till. This was a remarkable experience for me.

In 2009, I graduated from Brown University with a degree in Political Science and am currently working at an immigration law firm. I think helping people in their path to become naturalized citizens, so that they can then have the opportunity to vote, continues to be a strong reward for me. I hope to attend law school and then enter politics in the future.

I truly believe that Mikva allowed me to see politics from a whole different angle.  Politics has and will always be a passion of mine, and I strongly believe that a focus on providing social justice to all is an important platform for running/maintaining a vibrant democratic society.

At Mikva Challenge, our mission is to train life-long civic leaders, and our alums, like Miguel, and students affirm our success in getting young people to become today and tomorrow's leaders.