By Alyssa Ayudante
“I feel that volunteering is an activity that is taken for granted quite often. An hour out of my- or anyone’s- day can make a big impact on someone else’s week. It means a lot to them, so in turn, it means a lot to me.”
Yareli Moreno is a third-year Biology major attending CSUCI. “Moving from my small hometown, Delano, was a very daunting task,” Yareli recalls, “It was scary to move without any of my family and friends for support, but I knew I wanted more academic and volunteer opportunities during my time in college. At the end of the day, it was a decision I made for myself.” Yareli has dedicated a lot of time volunteering to give back to the local community, primarily Oxnard, since it reminds her a bit of her hometown. “Where I grew up, there was a good number of underserved families, agricultural workers, and health disparities, but not enough volunteers. When I moved here, I found that Oxnard faces the same obstacles and just reminds me of a larger version of the city I know to be home.”
Yareli contributes to her CSUCI campus community by serving as the Community Service Events Organizer for the Empowered Womxn of Color Club. During Dia de Los Muertx, she celebrated this remembrance holiday in a meaningful way with her club. They were able to engage the campus community by making letters to loved ones that passed and to hang them up in a display to honor that individual. “It made me happy to share a part of my culture with other students, especially those that did not know a lot about Dia de Los Muertx beforehand.”
In addition to this, Yareli has been able to find meaningful volunteer experiences off-campus. She was able to help with a local project that aimed to give backpacks and school supplies away for free to POC and underserved families in Oxnard who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Families were lined up since the morning, and the drive ended around 5 pm. I was lucky to be there because a lot of volunteers did not speak Spanish and most recipients were Spanish speakers. I felt like my biggest contribution that day was being able to translate to make sure everyone got what they needed before they went back home.” Yareli has also volunteered with her family at a local food drive in Oxnard during Thanksgiving to serve food to families that could not afford their own dinner. Thank you for sharing your story with us, Yareli!