Jezmin Fuentes
Volunteer Interpreter
Why is Esperanza’s mission important to you?
It's easy to feel helpless in the current political climate but you are not - you have time,
energy and resources to help those in need. I found that I needed to help my community in
a meaningful way so I looked for organizations that were truly helping the immigrant
community. Esperanza stood out as an organization that was truly devoted to helping
immigrants in a meaningful way through legal resources that are often out of reach for
people coming to the US.
What does Esperanza mean to you?
In a world that often takes advantage of the immigrant population I find Esperanza to truly
be a beacon of hope for people struggling to fix their legal situation. The work that
Esperanza does is really inspiring and I feel so grateful to be a small part of it. I truly see
myself in the people seeking help from Esperanza and giving back has been very
rewarding.
What is one memorable experience you have had working with Esperanza?
There have been many but the one that stands out is helping interpret for an 8 year old girl
from Honduras. I was 8 years old when my parents moved us to Mexico and it was so eye
opening to see a child navigate an international move - you are both so young but also
dealing with really adult decisions. I had a lot of compassion for that little girl because I
know how shocking it is to be moved from one county to another and not really
understanding why that needs to happen. Children are so vulnerable and seeing how the
attorney made her feel at ease really warmed my heart and made me feel like there are
truly angels here and the attorneys at Esperanza are exactly that.