By Daniel Burr

Aguilar

Los Altos High School graduate Luis Aguilar is assisting Mexican immigrants to obtain U.S. citizenship through the Citizenship Project at California State University at Monterey Bay.

Aguilar became involved with the project though CSUMB’s Service Learning program. Service Learning is a required course, which combines 30 hours of community service in the local Monterey community with classroom work, four hours a week. Aguilar promotes the importance of getting citizenship in order to attain voting rights.

“Being able to vote is being able to have a voice,” Aguilar said. “It enables the citizens to make a difference for themselves and their community.”

The central goal of the Citizenship Project, located in Salinas, is to assist Mexican immigrants become U.S. citizens. Aguilar has been involved with the Mexican immigrant community empowerment group since last fall.

“It’s a safe place for people to go and get help,” he said. “The main point is to get regular people their citizenship. It gives them a say on what happens in their community.”

Aguilar is studying world languages and cultures. His contribution to the project included making pamphlets, creating PowerPoint presentations and doing art projects, all of which provided information about the United States for the immigrants.

“I was an expert with computers,” Aguilar said. “I enjoyed teaching U.S. history to adults. I learned that … these people have an inner will to better themselves.”

Tony Acosta, core director for the project, gives much credit to Aguilar and the other students who have aided immigrants through the program.

“Every time we have a CSUMB student, they provide a lot of help,” Acosta said. “We have students with good computer skills. It’s something I like, because we need to learn more.”

According to Aguilar’s Service Learning Professor Rafael Gomez, he was the only student working with the Citizenship Project last semester.

“He was active in class,” Gomez said. “I feel he learned about the community, its needs and the possible solutions to its many problems. He was eager to identify problems and offer constructive solutions.”

Aguilar has continued to work with the Citizenship Project after his required community service hours were completed.

“It was a really free-flowing office. When I have time, I stop by at least once a month,” Aguilar said.

A low-income student who struggled in high school, Aguilar gives credit to his alma mater for aiding his rise to college.

“If it weren’t for my instructors in high school, I would not be a college-bound student,”Aguilar said.

For more information on the Citizenship Project, log on to. www.newcitizen.org.

For more information on CSUMB’s service learning program, log on to service.csumb.edu.