Advocating for Students: How the ICC President Applies History to Student Government
(Santa Ana, Calif.) Inter-Club Council President Litzy Chevez has found her place in Santa Ana College student government by channeling her love for history into advocating for the student body.
“In history, we learn a lot about advocates. You have the civil rights movement, you have the women’s rights movement, the Chicano movement, and you see how these figures advocated for groups of people. So you take characteristics from each figure and see the way they advocated, and you take that with you into your roles. You ask yourself, “How do I effectively advocate for the student body, what they think, what their issues and their ideas are?” And that’s how I bring history and student government together.”
Litzy started her educational path at a four-year university and was academically disqualified. At Santa Ana College, she has turned around her path completely.
What was the most difficult thing you faced and how did you overcome it?
My first year at a university went completely the way I didn’t think it was gonna go; I struggled a lot. It was my first year after high school, so I had that anticipation where I just thought I could do it. But, I struggled and unfortunately I was academically disqualified.
After that year, I transitioned to Santa Ana College, and here I learned how to become a college student. I found so many resources. I learned how to ask for those resources and where to go to ask for those resources. It was the best decision I made to be here at Santa Ana College.
When did you first get involved with ICC?
I got involved in the spring of last semester, during the ASG elections. I was just walking by on campus while the current ASG president (Jessica Velez) was running, and she actually stopped me and was like, “You should run and you should vote for me!” I didn’t know exactly what ASG was, I just knew I wanted to be part of something bigger on campus and just feel like I was a college student.
She (Jessica Velez) gave me so much information about what ASG is, and it gave me the opportunity and the push to actually get involved.
What about student government appealed to you?
For me, it’s about being part of a bigger community on campus. Just being able to advocate for students, being able to be their voice, and being able to represent them in places where students aren’t normally represented, and give their opinions, give their point of view, it’s amazing.
Why do you advocate for education?
I’m a big advocate for education because I believe it’s very important for everyday life and just for people in general. The more education you get, the more informed you are and the better decisions you can make.
Higher education has changed my life a lot. I’m the first one to actually be finishing out college in my family and that was my mom’s biggest dream was to see one of her daughters graduate with a higher education.
As someone who wants to become a teacher, I think it’s important. Amazing teachers helped me realize my passion for education.
I had a teacher that made me fall in love with history, even though I thought it was really boring in the beginning. But the way he taught and the way he had students be engaged in the subject made me fall in love with history.
He inspired me into thinking I can achieve my dreams, and I realized that’s something I want to inspire for other students.
So, my next goal is to transfer and then eventually join a teaching program to achieve my single subject teaching credential in social studies.
“I think it’s important to teach history. I’ve always said we learned from the past to make a better future. And history is all about decisions, states, and times, and events that went on in the past that helped shape how we are now, but also helps us look at what we can do differently in the future and how to make, like, a better place.”
What advice do you have for people who went through something similar to you?
My advice would be to ask anyone and everyone. It doesn’t hurt to ask because they can always appoint you to the resources or they might know someone who might know the answer.
The other advice I can give is never give up. Like even if you fall, stand right up and then try again. Like me, I thought university was it for me, like that was my only option, but I found other options and I’m still obtaining my goal, it’s just not the way I thought it was going to be.
