Two San Benito High School graduates recently were awarded with national honors at the 2016 League of United Latin American Citizens (L.U.L.A.C.) National Convention in Washington D.C.
Elizabeth Zepeda, 22, and Andres Rodriguez, 23, are members of the San Benito County Young Adults L.U.L.A.C. Council #3084, which focus primarily on collegiate issues, civic participation, community service, and professional development. L.U.L.A.C., the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, has substantially grown its collegiate division in recent years. Council #3084, in particular, is based in San Benito County, but have local members that attend undergraduate and graduate universities across the nation.
Elizabeth Zepeda, a 2012 graduate of SBHS, was presented with the 2016 National L.U.L.A.C. Young Adult Woman of the Year Award. She currently volunteers at the Watsonville Law Center, where she does legal intakes for the community. Zepeda also volunteers at the Santa Cruz Immigration Project, where she assists DREAMers with filling out DACA applications. She will graduate from California State University, Monterey Bay earning a degree in social and behavioral science, with a focus in sociology. She plans to continue her education in constitutional and immigration law at the University of California, Davis in hopes of continuing to serve the Latino community.
Rodriguez, a 2011 SBHS graduate, was presented with the 2016 L.U.L.A.C. Emerge Leadership Award, the third time it has ever been awarded in the organization. For the past two years, Rodriguez has served on the California State L.U.L.A.C. Board as the state deputy director for young adults, through which he encouraged students to participate in community service events like health and college fairs, as well as raise money for scholarships. Rodriguez graduated from California State University, Northridge in 2015, double majoring in political science and Chicano studies. He will also begin to study law this Fall at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, where he will focus on international and immigration law in hopes of serving in U.S.- Latin American affairs.
For any questions on how to join the San Benito County L.U.L.A.C. Young Adults Council #3084, contact Andres Rodriguez at andresrod.sbc@gmail.com.