Melissa Ortega

Melissa Ortega

2018-2019

Class of 2019  

Dilley Statement:

I am once again participating in this trip because it was such an impactful, albeit gut-wrenching, and rewarding experience. The asylum-seeking women and children that we were able to help left an ever-lasting impression on me. I think about them often and feel grateful that I was given the opportunity to listen to and help them. As a daughter of immigrants, I feel an obligation to help the most vulnerable in my Latino community. The women and children we met, their plights and courage allowed me to reflect on my own privilege, and also served as a reminder and motivation to continue my fighting for them in any way that I can. I am returning to Dilley to do just that.

We are a living in a time of pronounced divisiveness in our country as such I also feel an obligation to dispel and correct the anti-immigrant rhetoric in our daily discourse. Immigrants at our borders are not political props and our “problems” at our border cannot be corrected by building a wall of any sorts, whether it be beautiful, cement, or see-through. What we have is a humanitarian crisis and we must all do our part to lend a hand to those that flee their homes for a chance to live.

ILS Position:

  • 2018-2019: Treasurer, Dilley Group Volunteer