![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/1651857948300.webp)
Chicago, IL
Ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino
Hobbies and interests
Advocacy And Activism
Writing
Poetry
Jesse Maldonado
1,005
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/1651857948300.webp)
Jesse Maldonado
1,005
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
As a student pursuing my Master of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, my professional goal is to empower and collaborate with individuals and communities to combat injustices and create positive change at a systems level. Since graduating with my Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in December of 2020, I have been working in the field as a Prevention Educator at Youth Outreach Services in Chicago.
My past educational and academic experiences have helped me to develop my skills as an educator, resource broker, facilitator, mediator, and advocate. I have organized and promoted efforts on inclusion, social identity, and violence prevention and engaged in dialogue with diverse groups of people on topics such as sexual assault, gender and sexuality, race and racism, and issues faced by incarcerated individuals. All of these opportunities have shaped my worldview and my passions and make me all the more excited to pursue this next step in my academic journey.
Education
University of Illinois at Chicago
Master's degree programMajors:
- Social Work
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Social Work
GPA:
3.7
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Social Work
Career
Dream career field:
Civic & Social Organization
Dream career goals:
Program Manager
Associate
Panera Bread2016 – 20193 yearsFirst Year Acquaintance Rape Education (FYCARE) Facilitator
University of Illinois2019 – 20201 yearMulticultural Advocate
University of Illinois Residential Life2019 – 20201 yearIllinois Safe Schools Alliance Policy and Advocacy Intern
Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago2020 – 2020Prevention Specialist
Youth Outreach Services2021 – Present3 years
Research
History and Political Science
National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Dr. Ellis Subdivision — Oral Historian Researcher2020 – 2020
Public services
Volunteering
Our Music My Body — Volunteer2016 – 2018Volunteering
Urbana Champaign Books to Prisoners — Volunteer2020 – 2020
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
Education is Bling: The Moore the Blingyer Scholarship
Growing up as a queer Latinx person, I recognized injustices and the shortcomings of institutions before I could articulate and understand them. Now as an adult working in youth-centered spaces, I feel motivated and inspired by the individuals I see living openly and unapologetically as themselves. After pursuing my master’s of social work, I would like to continue to work with LGBTQ+ individuals, in particular, trans and gender nonconforming youth of color.
While trans and gender nonconforming individuals of color in some areas have built strong communities and mutual aid networks, there is still a lack of well funded services and programs available to these populations that combat the physical, mental, economic, and social hardships they face. The majority of LGBTQ+ youth served by resourced organizations and programs are white and cisgender because more of these services exist in predominately white neighborhoods. Further, these spaces can feel unwelcoming for trans youth of color who do not feel like their experiences are understood or respected. There is a need for more services that are specifically geared towards trans and gender nonconforming youth of color and legislation that protects and promotes their wellbeing. I am passionate about working with this population to advocate for change and to develop interventions they need that are inspired by their resilience and acts of resistance. I am very privileged that my experiences so far have empowered me to want to and feel capable of combating these inequities and others faced by people who have been historically overlooked and underserved.
When I think about my career, I know that I want my work to remain deeply rooted in social justice and reflect the experiences and needs of marginalized individuals and communities. I am particularly interested in pursuing work at the macro-level by designing and managing community-level programs and interventions. Ideally, I would like to see myself in a program manager role within the next five years. No matter what title I hold, I want to be able to influence policy decisions while keeping my work grounded in the lived experiences of the populations I serve.
My personal, academic, and work experiences so far have allowed me to excel as an educator, resource broker, facilitator, mediator, and advocate. As a Multicultural Advocate at my university, I worked to promote inclusion on a micro, mezzo, and macro scale in a residence hall community by engaging in one-on-one and group dialogues about social identity. At the same time on campus, I was a First Year Acquaintance Rape Education (FYCARE) Workshop Facilitator, the Vice President External of an LGBTQ+ student organization, and a volunteer with two community organizations. Each role required me to build rapport with diverse groups of individuals and speak confidently on social issues. During my BSW field placement, I served as the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance Policy and Advocacy Intern at Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago. There, I was able to further my knowledge of policy and practice within the context of an organization. Through working with LGBTQ+ youth in Illinois schools, educators, community members, stakeholders, and partner organizations, I supported individual cases and contributed to the overall growth of the program’s initiatives. After graduation, I began my current position as a Prevention Specialist at Youth Outreach Services. In addition to teaching an evidence-based prevention curriculum, I have learned quite a bit about grant reporting and stewardship and building mentor relationships with young people. I am grateful that I have had so many opportunities to explore my interests and develop my skills and am excited to continue to do so by pursuing further education.