Cendy Vides

About Cendy

• When she was four years old, her mother left her with her grandmother in El Salvador in search of a better life in the United States.
• At the age of eight, her mom sent for her, trusting a coyotaje (or illegal human smuggler) to take her on a month-long journey across multiple borders and into the United States.
• From a young age, her mother started collecting her schoolwork and awards to present to lawyers in order to argue her daughter’s right to residency.
• It wasn’t until she was a sophomore in high school that she became a resident.
• Throughout her schooling, she saw her mother struggling to support the two of them financially; seeing that struggle motivated her to pursue a four-year post-secondary education.
• She was able to attend college at the University of California, Santa Barbara, majoring in global studies and Chicano Studies.
• Working at College Track, she helps students get the support they need—both in school and at home—through policies like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
• Says a huge source of her motivation today is creating a better world of opportunity for her young niece.