Champion of Change

The White House recently recognized Yesenia Ayala ’18 and 10 other young women selected from more than 1,000 nominees as “Champions of Change” for empowering and inspiring members of their communities. At a ceremony on Sept. 15, Ayala was honored for her contributions to the Latino community in Iowa.

As a service learning work-study student at Grinnell, Ayala works for Al Exito, a nonprofit group that empowers Latino youth in nine Iowa cities. She coordinates programming and mentoring for middle and high school Latino students, facilitates family programming and events, and engages other Grinnell students in encouraging Latino students to stay in school and plan for college.

“Through my personal experience,” she says, “I was able to bring awareness to not only the local [and] state, but national community of the importance of mentoring and supporting students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and how we can all come together as one to make the movement work.”

She often shares her story at Al Exito events to inspire others. “I was working full time at McDonald’s as a manager while in high school, I was going to high school in a very low-income community, and I was striving to get As,” Ayala says. “I was also taking the responsibility and the role of helping my parents raise my siblings.”

Ayala is majoring in sociology and Spanish with a concentration in Latin American Studies. She plans to pursue a law degree and specialize in civil rights.