Aliento Features: Alexis Torres Castro
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Alexis Torres Castro and I am a first-generation college student at Arizona State University. I am the youngest son of Mexican immigrants. I was born and raised in south Phoenix. My parents are from Guanajuato, Mexico. I am the first in my family to go straight to university after graduating high school. I am currently a third year majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a double minor in Construction Management and Tourism Development and Management. I am the Vice President of my fraternity, Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Incorporated. I love to listen to music, play video games, workout, and spend time with friends and family.
How did you find out about Aliento?
I got involved with Aliento way before my Fellowship this year. I was an intern in 2020 when I was a senior in high school. My high school mandated us to get an internship our senior year, and, truthfully, I was pretty lost and didn’t know what to do. I talked to my counselor, teachers, alumni, and friends; they all told me about this organization named Aliento. I looked into the organization and fell in love with its mission, vision, and overall purpose. However, to no surprise I found out about the organization a little too late; they were no longer looking for interns or fellows. I reached out to the Vice President of Education and External Affairs, Mr. José Patiño to ask if there was any way I could still be an intern or fellow. He had told me that, unfortunately, the fellowship was all full, but he told me he’d see what he could do for an internship. He got back to me a couple of days later, telling me that they don’t usually do this but he had told me there was a possibility of me interning for Aliento. I told him not to worry and to just trust me, and that I would be worth all the trouble and hassle. I still remember all those memorable experiences, such as my first meeting, which was an onboarding meeting for all the interns in September 2020, all the roleplaying on how to talk to people, all the phone banking for the 2020 election, being a part of the 2020 Aliento Votes campaign, making new friends, and so much more.
Why does the work we are doing matter to you?
All of the policy priorities are very important to me because even though they don’t directly impact me due to my status, I still know many friends and family who are directly impacted. I know someone who is directly impacted by each priority policy, and in my opinion, it would be unfair to just choose one. For example, two that strongly resonate with me are the Drivers’ Licenses for All and Occupational/Professional Licenses for All. This due to me having friends that have difficulty commuting anywhere they go because of the constant fear of them being pulled over for not having a license. For OPLs I have friends in my same major field that are just lost and don’t know what to do moving forward as we are graduating in a year and they can’t obtain an OPL due to their status.
What moments from the fellowship are you most proud of?
Something I have learned from my fellowship has been that there are times when I need to step up and lead. However, along with that, there are times I need to take a step back and let others lead. As someone who is typically in his bubble and who likes to be more of a second in command, it was hard to break out of my shell and be a leader when no one else wanted to during presentations, events, talking to state elected officials, etc. Through the fellowship I learned the skills to be an individualist while working great in a team. I have learned that it is important to know your story and to share it out loud. No one else will have your exact story, and that’s what makes it so powerful. Being true to yourself and others will always get people’s attention.
I have also learned that just because something doesn’t change right away, it doesn’t mean to give up on it. It just means to keep pushing forward until you get the results you want. Everything you do will cause a ripple effect. Advocating for what you believe in and informing people about the truth is the most important thing one person can do, including some of my experiences with the events I hosted as a fellow this past year. I hosted an educational workshop explaining the purpose and importance of Drivers Licenses for All in Arizona, and, more recently, created a panel featuring the voices of community members who have been impacted by current immigrant narratives and misconceptions.
How did Education Day impact you?
Education Day impacted me a lot for the betterment of myself. The skills and experiences I have learned in the Fellowship stem from Education Day. Seeing all 300+ students at the Capitol there that day to fight for what they believe to be right, really inspired me. Beforehand, I struggled to have the courage to tell anyone my story and would get even more nervous when I knew I had to tell the state elected officials my story. Ten months ago I would have told you I preferred to be a note-taker or timekeeper over being a facilitator. However, now it is something that, in a way, seems normal because of the amount of meetings I have had with different lawmakers and seeing that the stories that we tell these lawmakers actually do make a difference. Without us going out there and telling our personal stories, the only story they know is what they see on the news.
What is a moment from the fellowship outside of E-day that really impacted you?
A moment from the fellowship outside of Education Day that impacted me was definitely tabling for Aliento at the Bioscience High School internship fair. It was a little full circle moment for me as I am an alumni of Bioscience High School, and my journey with Aliento started when I was a senior there. Due to the pandemic, I didn’t get an in-person internship fair, and because of the fellowship now, I was able to finally be a part of the internship fair at Bioscience High School just on the other side now.
How would you describe this fellowship to someone who is looking to apply?
As I continue my path as a student aiming for my degree in engineering, I will hopefully graduate next year. I will still be very involved in my fraternity be it keeping my academics first, promoting cultural awareness and diversity, being a role model to my community, and immersing myself in my brotherhood. On top of all that, I am looking for an engineering internship. I still plan to be involved with Aliento. Be it volunteering at events such as Education Days, Aliento @ ASU, etc. Who knows, maybe I’ll come back as an intern again in the future. Just because my fellowship is ending soon doesn’t mean that I will stop advocating for what I believe in.
What’s next for you?
After graduating, I am hoping to finish my DVM prerequisites in order to apply for the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. My ultimate dream is to be able to become a veterinarian by the age of 19 or 20 and travel around the countries like Mexico and Guatemala to help these poor animals and give them a better life. I want to work hard to be able to give affordable medicine to animals in need. Moreover, I definitely want to give back to my family and be able to provide and spoil them to the ends of the Earth. My family has given up so much for me in order to flourish and succeed and I won’t take the opportunity they gave me by coming to this country for granted.
