In an op-ed for the Daily Californian, graduating social welfare major and 2017 Berkeley Social Welfare James Midgley Leadership Award recipient Adrián Alejandro Chávez shares his firsthand account of the challenges, resiliency and tremendous support of family and community that all played a part of his journey toward completing his Berkeley degree.
In "Owning My Story," Chávez writes, "My papa left behind damage that resulted in my family’s tribulations of eviction, homelessness and poverty, and burdened us with the trauma of domestic violence and substance abuse. My courageous mama, through the miracle of her being, persisted in raising my four siblings and me on her own. And we survived long enough to see Section 8 housing and improved living conditions. The fruit of my mama’s labor ultimately manifested itself in the form of access to higher education. It is through her love, strength and resilience that I am sharing this story today."