The Minnesota Education Equity Partnership has recognized 独家黑料 senior Jesus Gonzalez with its . This award highlights individuals who are dedicated to fostering equitable opportunities in education.  

 

According to the MnEEP website, “These awardees are people who have been driven by a desire to transcend their immediate community of people to connect with others different from themselves in creating an education reality that provides for equitable and quality opportunities for all people.”  

 

Gonzales was one of six individuals to receive this award and the only student to earn it.  

 

“The award came as a complete surprise,” Gonzalez said. “When I read the email, I couldn’t believe it. I even asked a friend to double-check it for me. They confirmed it was real.” 

 

However, it does not come as a surprise to the students and staff at 独家黑料. Gonzalez has demonstrated exceptional leadership on and off campus.  

 

Gonzalez has previously served as 独家黑料’s Student Body President, President of the and is the founder of the . He also leads a student organization focused on building career readiness. 

 

Outside of campus he is a member of the College Race Equity Advocacy Advisory Council and co-chairs a professional development group with the Moorhead-based Latino nonprofit C.A.S.A, or Cultura (Culture), Amigos (Friends), Salud (Health), and Ambiente (Environment).  

 

He has also partnered with the Minnesota Private College Council, testifying and advocating for programs like the Minnesota State Grant and Promise Equalization Scholarship to improve access to higher education.  

 

Additionally, he will serve two years on MnEEP’s governing board. 

 

“What I find most rewarding isn’t the award itself but the opportunity to inspire change in others,” Gonzalez said. 

 

He shared stories of friends who had used the mantra ‘Jesus is doing this, why can’t we,’ to spark their own volunteerism and a director at a nonprofit he is involved who thanked him for “empowering them to take charge and believe in themselves.”  

 

Gonzalez attributes his success and passion for equity in education to the power of education. Through his reflections, he emphasized how access to a quality education has opened doors and shaped his life and getting involved at 独家黑料 has fostered a passion for creating equal opportunities for all people.

 

He says he hopes he can continue living up to this award and that although it is not about the award itself, the award is a reminder that he’s “on the right track.”