On the last day of her 2016 summer internship at ALSO, Gina Rivera walks into the office not knowing she would be asked to interview for ALSO’s website, but she jumped right in. That day, she was about to embark on a wonderful trip outside of the country, so ALSO decided to sit down with the lifelong resident of Humboldt Park, Chicago, IL and ask her about her journey to this moment in her life, her plans for the rest of the summer and beyond.  

1) How did you come to be at ALSO?

“The first time, I had finished dropping out of my first year of college and so I was looking to work in my community when I returned from college and I was introduced to Lori[i]. She started me as a youth organizer back in 2010.”

 2) What did that work entail?

“Working alongside other youth organizers and basically coming up with surveys, focus groups and educational sessions regarding violence in the community, domestic and partner violence.”

3) You also did some work on teen violence and teen dating and things like that too right? Can you talk about that a little bit?

“Yea, so of course there are a lot of teens that live here in Humboldt Park, what we did was we spoke to different teens regarding relationships and dating violence and just basically gathered information regarding the reasons behind relationship dating violence, different types of dating violence, different situations different, you know, ways in which it works within both hetero and homosexual relationships. So we just basically gathered information regarding what that looks like in terms of teens ages 16-24."

4) How long ago was that work, your youth organizing work?

“It was from 2010-2013.”

5) Ok, so it’s been three years and you’re back at ALSO so what are you doing now?

“Actually, I’ve been here at ALSO… I’m here every summer. Right now, I’m a community organizer and I help with research in Humboldt Park (HP) in terms of  what resources are needed for Humboldt Park residents and what they think in terms of violence, what resources can help prevent violence and what kind of things are they looking for to help their community.”

6) So there has definitely been a trajectory in your work?

“Yes.”

7) What have you learned while being here at ALSO?

“Honestly, I’ve learned so much about what people think in terms of the residents in HP, I learned that there are a lot of people who are interested in helping the community, they just don’t have the leadership to be involved and to get involved. I also learned my own personal responsibility as a resident in HP, as a student as a woman of color. My work and the responsibility I have to move forward and to give back to my community.”

8) So, I’m glad you brought that up because at a community dinner a couple of weeks ago that ALSO hosted, you talked about coming back to your community and giving back, the idea of going away and then coming back to give to your community. Can you elaborate a little bit more about that?  You wanted to be an example. What do you mean by that, what does that look like to you?

“For me, that looks like being born and raised in HP and having the best opportunity to leave that, because I needed to in order to progress in my life, both personally and in my education but that doesn’t mean to stay where I’m at. That  means to come back and share what I learned and to provide what I can, what I know and what  I can give back so that teens and residents here know that it is possible for the young to grow and do more than what they see in the community. And to provide that example so that they have an outlet so that their able to say ‘you know she did it, so I can do it and what do I need to do? I can be a mentor, anything that I can provide for people.’”

[It means] “Coming back and keep doing what I am doing and working with ALSO and being able to make that happen.”

9) Can you tell us a little about where you are now in terms of schooling and your plans within the next I don’t know day or so (Laughter)?

“I am actually a senior now at UCLA, I am studying Latin American studies with a minor in Art History and then I am leaving to Brazil tomorrow to study Portuguese for 6 weeks and after graduation I want to get my Masters in Social Work so I can start my work in non-profit, no not start, actually continue my work in non-profit on a larger scale.”

 10) Is there anything aside from Portuguese that you hope to learn while in Brazil?

“Yea, because I want to learn more about the community, the violence, the struggles that those teens face in education and personal experiences I am living with a host family. I would be there basically living the life of a student in Brazil. So I hope to learn more about the young people in Brazil and just learn about the educational system and how that works in terms of the lives of students and families, and  the community and things like that just kind of connecting my life with theirs and seeing the similarities and differences.”

11) You talked about getting a Master’s in Social Work, what do you see as an end result of your experience?

“I want to be Lori, (Laughter) but I want to start my own non-profit organization. I’m not sure if its home would be in Chicago, but I know for sure that it would have connections with Chicago. For young women of color, and I want to be able to have services and resources and things like that and projects, so many things to help the young women of color, wherever I am at. Whether that’s Chicago, California who knows Brazil? I just want to continue doing this work and am able to extend my professionalism and my career in that field in Social Work.”

Well thank you so much Gina and we can’t wait to hear all about your trip.

“Thank You.” 

ALSO is extremely excited about Gina’s new opportunity abroad and where she sees herself in the near future. Gina, we wish you the best of luck in Brazil and we can’t wait to hear all about your trip and its contribution to your future goals. To support Gina's study abroad, check out her Crowdrise.

Watch ALSO say farewell!

[i] Lori Crowder is the Executive Director of ALSO where Gina does her summer internships. Learn more about Lori.