Never Walk Alone

For many of our families, the American Dream begins with providing their children an opportunity for a better life. For that to happen, they need to seek out the tools and resources that will assist their children in obtaining those dreams. Milenia Quintero, NPA Class of 2014, was not a stranger to her parents actively seeking opportunities for their three children. When a family friend introduced the Quinteros to a middle school with a mission to get their students to become the first generation in their families to graduate college, there was no hesitation in enrolling them. They had always advocated for and valued education and wanted their children to have a fighting chance at a better life outside of poverty. Milenia’s older sister Johanny, NPA ‘08, began her journey at Nativity Prep five years prior to Milenia, allowing her to experience Nativity’s family support and community at only 8 years of age. Looking up to her older sister, Milenia knew she would follow in her footsteps, making higher education the end goal.

When Milenia began at Nativity Prep Academy in 2011, she was excited to become involved and experience new opportunities. Academics had always been a favorite activity but she learned to push herself outside her comfort zone and try new things. A perfect example was the requirement to participate in a sport. Ever since she could remember, she hated sports. When her family would attend her younger brother, Kevin’s (NPA ‘19) soccer games, Milenia could be found under a tree with her nose in a book. It wasn’t until her time at Nativity that she learned to enjoy the physical activity of sports like soccer and volleyball, learning to convert them into a pastime that she would utilize as an outlet. She loved having different enriching activities that allowed her to push herself toward personal growth. Taking on roles within school organizations like the Associated Student Body (ASB) allowed her to participate in her community as a leader. Milenia would always find a way to utilize the resources Nativity provided fully. At times, there were roadblocks that she needed to overcome, but Nativity was always willing to meet her where she was and ensured she took advantage of those opportunities no matter her situation. Milenia recalls a specific instance where a classmate and herself were selected to attend a conference hosted by the John Hopkins Center of Talented Youth taking place in Santa Cruz. The 520-mile distance to the conference was enough for Milenia to doubt the attainability of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was thanks to Mrs. Del Centanni, Development Director at the time, who drove approximately eight hours to UC Santa Cruz with the two students so Milenia and her classmate were able to experience the program. She knew that everyone was so thoughtful and loving, but having this support let her know she had found a family that would do anything to help her get to her destination.

During middle school, Milenia was also an active participant at Barrio Logan College Institute, BLCI, attending weekly workshops after her extended day at school. BLCI has a mission similar to Nativity’s: to empower youth to pursue higher education. This mission had a positive impact, further encouraging Milenia to make the most of the opportunities that kept arising.

When it was time to begin the high school application process, Milenia became aware her application process was going to look different than those of her peers. Having no idea where to begin, Team Alvarez, made up of Mrs. Xochitl Alvarez and Mrs. Josie Alvarez, Milenia was guided through the rigorous paperwork of neverending legal documents in addition to the traditional college application process. In 2014, a new chapter of her life was about to begin at The Bishop’s School. Milenia began her journey as a Knight confident that she wouldn’t be alone, Nativity had always had her back and they weren’t going to stop now. Her introduction to Bishop’s was not easy. Various factors including but not limited to the commuting distance from Logan Heights to La Jolla, facing and over-coming the culture shock of this new affluent environment, facing and overcoming her internal battle against imposter syndrome, and adjusting to the academic expectations had Milenia struggling to find her ground. It was during this time that Milenia held tight to a teaching she inherited from Danza Azteca, a traditional cultural Mesoamerican dance, “You can’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you come from.” Never forgetting how she arrived at those next levels, Milenia attuned herself to the new environment, learning to advocate for herself and seek out people who would become her community and support one another. Milenia loved the academic challenge Bishop’s presented her with and the opportunities it gifted her. She was an active member of the mock trial, the head ambassador on the Administration Team, partook in the implementation of several advocacy programs, and of course, attended the weekly Graduate Support workshops at Nativity. Her weekly visit to GSP reminded her of the end goal, of higher education. These workshops allotted her the time to prepare for the college process early on in her high school career. Having been working towards that goal since her time at Nativity, Milenia started assembling a portfolio so that when the time came for college applications, she would be ready.

Team Alvarez had transformed into Team Milenia, which now consisted of Nativity’s GSP team, BLCI Program Coordinator, Cristina, and her Bishop’s guidance counselor, Marsha Setzer. Her time at Bishop’s was coming to an end and had opened her eyes to the inequalities around her. It was there that she decided she would use her voice to help elevate those who needed the support she was once given. Milenia was unsure of what her future could hold, she had dreams of applying to the University of Southern California but did not think it was going to be something feasible with all the unknown surrounding her. She doesn’t even remember submitting her final transcript with her USC application. It was moments like that where Team Milenia would pick her up, never letting her give up. She was in disbelief at where the next chapter of her life was about to take place. She had always given her 110% when it came to academics but the surreal news of receiving a full-ride scholarship to the University of Southern California was incredible!

It wasn’t that her time at Bishop’s prepared her for the new world she was going to experience at USC, but rather that her experiences at Bishop’s exposed her to circumstances she would once again face during her college years, preparing her with the resources and techniques to better handle difficult situations. The new environment and community at USC welcomed Milenia with open arms. She could fully embrace and showcase her authentic self without feeling as if she was out of place. During her time at USC, Milenia was quick to find her community, participating in various extracurricular activities like her involvement in the IDEAS Lab, also known as Improving Dreams, Equity, Access, and Success: an organization founded to create a safe space and positive dialogue for undocumented students and their allies. It was during her time at IDEAS that she fully immersed herself in advocacy work and assisting others. She started dabbling in the legal field at an immigration clinic, which developed into her becoming a legal assistant for three years. During her student assistant period, she gained experience in assisting people gain access to the resources they would need to start the process of becoming U.S. citizens, becoming a translator, and assisting with law cases. Additionally, her volunteer work with Al Otro Lado, an organization that provides holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the US, and with CHIRLA, the Coalition for Human and Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, confirmed that advocacy work was where she belonged.

Towards the end of her second year at USC, Milenia became aware of their Progressive Degree Program. This program would allow her to pursue her master’s degree in conjunction with her bachelor’s. Always one to play her cards right, Milenia knew this was an opportunity to graduate debt-free. After some investigative work, Milenia realized her financial aid would not cover her tuition for both degrees. Over the years, she had learned to advocate for herself, a skill she would need to put into practice in this specific situation. She marched to the Financial Aid Office, reminding herself that “she would miss every opportunity she would not take” and requested additional funds to cover the remaining balance. The worst that could happen was that they would deny her request, and they did. Never one to give up, Milenia was in the process of researching where to gather the remaining funds, when she received a phone call from the Financial Aid Office she had visited less than a week ago. They had been so impressed with her initiative and drive that they wanted to help her, so they pulled funds together from other miscellaneous budgets. And so, in 2020, adjusting to the chaos that was the pandemic, Milenia began to work towards her master’s degree. 

In 2022, Milenia graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with double minors in American Studies and Legal Studies and a Master of Studies degree in Law from USC Gould School of Law. She had the honor of being the graduation speaker at the Latinx Graduation Ceremony where she was proud to stand up in front of her peers and celebrate every individual’s hard work and dedication to their education. She then proceeded to gain experience in the legal field working in personal injury. She confesses to not enjoying the work, but she was going to take advantage of the opportunity to actively practice law. Milenia would then move on to practice private law for about a year and a half. Unable to ignore the ache in her heart and the voice in her ear, in October of 2024, Milenia returned to work with CHIRLA, where she currently assists the Workers Rights Department as a paralegal. Ever since her time at USC, advocacy work has made her the happiest. Being able to see the direct impact her work had within her community lightened her world. As she settles into her role at CHIRLA, Milenia knows she is exactly where she is meant to be. Milenia is currently working towards being able to join the team of Department of Justice Accredited Representatives, where she would be able to work explicitly on immigration law and make legal services more accessible. Although constantly thinking about it, Milenia is not sure about enrolling into law school, yet. She has not closed the door to that opportunity, but Nativity gave her the power of choice and that is something she cherishes and utilizes meticulously. One thing is for certain, Milenia’s journey has had a huge emphasis on community and giving back. She will continue to use her knowledge, skills, resources, and tools to assist those who may now be facing a similar situation she once had to overcome. She will walk side by side with any community member who can use her, ensuring that no one ever walks their difficult journey alone.