A Reflection about SOMOS

Politics
by Andres Aguirre

The 2019 SOMOS Conference marked my first return to Albany in about five years. I’ve never had a bad experience when I’ve gone up to the Capitol, and this was no exception. I was able to meet a multitude of elected officials, attend various educative workshops, and network with countless amounts of young politically active students like myself.

This year, the Conference’s theme was “We Are Dreams Come True”, in celebration of the passing of the New York State DREAM Act. It was incredible to see so many students, past and present, all gathered in the same place to finally be able to commemorate their work over the past 8 years.

Now, I am not a Dreamer. I was born in the United States and as a result did not have to struggle like they did. It breaks my heart to hear some of the stories that have resulted of the DREAM Act being stalled on for so long. Some undocumented students, because they had no access to aid or loans, simply could not afford to go to college anymore and dropped out without much of a choice. To finally see all of their advocacy finally payoff is a feeling that is surely indescribable. And, as a result, it gave me great joy to be able to witness such a historic event.