Editor’s note: Part of a continuing series of stories profiling the award-winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2015 Latino Leadership Awards. The awards gala will be held on Saturday, June 6 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Click here or call 805-486-9777 for more information.
Amigos805 staff reports
Jose Miguel Undurraga. Photo by BB Rivas / El Concilio Family Services.
Jose Miguel Undurraga, a first-generation American, is the son of South American parents and lives in Camarillo.
He is a strong advocate for youth involvement in political and social activism and as a senior in the rigorous International Baccalaureate Program at Rio Mesa High School, he started First Chapter, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to distributing educational materials to underprivileged children. The student-run group has distributed more than 20,000 books and school supplies to children in its first year.
He also started a Junior State of America (JSA) chapter at Rio Mesa during his sophomore year; JSA is a national club for high school students interested in politics, law, government and foreign affairs. He is the club’s Southern California regional advocacy director and serves on the youth advisory board for Rep. Julia Brownley, where he actively advocated for youth representation in the federal government and increased federal funding for low-achieving schools. He interned for Republican Tony Strickland in 2012 during his political campaign for Congress.
Listening to conservative and liberal viewpoints gave Miguel a chance to understand all sides of an issue, according to one nomination letter. “I think it’s important for me to hear and serve on both sides,” he said. “I’m extremely bipartisan.” In 2014, he was appointed national director of outreach for the Campaign for a Presidential Youth Council and was chosen as the 2014 Camarillo Chamber of Commerce Youth of the Year.
The 26th annual Latino Leadership Awards will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard. Tickets are $200 each or $1,500 for a table of eight (8).
Click here to RSVP for the awards gala. For more information on El Concilio’s programs and services, visit www.elconciliofs.org or call 805-486-9777 ext. 228.