IDEA College Prep

JSA National Civic Impact Award : 

JSA National Civic Impact Award IDEA College Preparatory Donna, Texas Gulf Coast Region, Texas State Chapter President: Gabriel Ozuna Chapter Vice President: Miranda Marty Chapter Sponsor: Meghan Lowe

IDEA College Prep JSA : 

IDEA College Prep JSA This is the first year that IDEA ever had a JSA chapter. We serve a very low-income, politically indifferent student population. We stressed the importance of learning how to make differences in the community through the education of politics and government. We started with 8 members in our chapter and quickly expanded to 27 tax-paid members. For our members’ hard work and dedication to JSA this year, we owe it to them to present their story of this chapter’s accomplishments.

Slide 3: 

Members from left to right: TOP: Jascha Jimenez, Julio Romero, Claudia Perez, Ariana Homes, Mario Romero, Isaac Vargas, Brittney Vargas, Uriel Restrepo. MIDDLE: Jaime Luna, Christine Rios, Alma Duran, Daniel Dacasa, Emily Gonzalez, Gabriel Ozuna. FRONT: Miranda Marty, Alyssa Urrutia, Bea Medina.

Chapter Cabinet : 

Chapter Cabinet President- Gabriel Ozuna Vice President- Miranda Marty Secretary- Brittney Vargas Parliamentarian- Veronica Garcia Treasurer- Miranda Marty Debate Director- Jascha Jimenez

Slide 5: 

Members from left to right: Brittney Vargas, Veronica Garcia, Miranda Marty, Daniel Dacasa, Gabriel Ozuna, Jascha Jimenez.

Meetings : 

Meetings We hold our chapter meetings every other Thursday for an hour and a half afterschool. During our meetings we have thought-talks and debates where members voice their opinions on today’s most controversial issues. Members are engaged at our meetings and are more involved in today’s political scene because of our interesting discussions.

Chapter Interactions : 

Chapter Interactions Our first experience with a JSA mini-con was at the Gulf Coast Region (GCR) Fall Regional Conference at Rice University in Houston, Texas. We decided to take the newly elected Cabinet to observe and learn JSA firsthand. The results were great and we were able to take what we learned from the conference and apply it into our meetings. Eating breakfast before the GCR Fall Regional Conference

School Involvement : 

School Involvement Our chapter put out a poll to the student body, grades 9-12, and found out the political views that our peers affiliate themselves with. The poll asked them where they stood on certain hot-topic political issues such as abortion, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, gun rights, illegal immigration, taxes, etc. Based on their responses, we were able to determine what political views they held. These are the composite results of that poll:

Political Views for Total Student Population : 

Political Views for Total Student Population 63% 18.9% 18% 0.003%

Conservatives - Percent Party Affiliation : 

Conservatives - Percent Party Affiliation 42.5% 45% 9.8% 2.7%

Poll Results : 

Poll Results The data shows that an overwhelming 63% of the student body consider themselves to be conservative. Most of those conservatives were self-declared democrats by affiliation, 45% to be exact. This result for conservative-democrats is interesting for our area because in South Texas, the majority of the population is considered liberal-democratic.

Poll Results Continued : 

Poll Results Continued This poll was also the first step in an effort to get more students from our high school involved in the political arena, and hopefully JSA in the future. We plan to have an assembly in the next 2 weeks to discuss the results of the data with the entire student body & describe what these results mean for us as a school and a community as a whole. Now that they know the outcome of this poll, it can help them to be better informed on where their elected representatives stand on the issues important to them. In other words, we hope to have started the process in developing more educated voters for the future.

Guest Speakers : 

Guest Speakers Another example of community engagement in our chapter is: We currently have a pending invitation to Federal Judge Micaela Alvarez of Laredo, Texas. Originally from Donna, Texas, she worked her way out of poverty and into a celebrated judicial career. She is an acclaimed lawyer who has her own practice in the Rio Grande Valley and was appointed by President Bush to Federal Judicial status in 2004. She has agreed to speak to our chapter within the next few weeks. We are excited for the opportunity to hear her speak and hopefully inspire members to break the stereotype of Hispanics in our region. More guest speakers will come and speak to our chapter members in the near future. Federal Judge Micaela Alvarez

LBJ Presidential Library : 

LBJ Presidential Library One more chapter activity that shows how our chapter has engaged members in politics is: Our visit to the LBJ Presidential Library following the Fall State Convention in Austin, TX. Members were allowed to visit this iconic museum and learn about policies of the mid-late 20th century that affected the way our govt. was run and still is running today. Jascha Jimenez at LBJ Library

Maintains Chapter Interest : 

Maintains Chapter Interest In the beginning of the school year our chapter had eight members, by Spring State we now have 27 members. Not only have our numbers grown but so has their involvement in running our JSA chapter. They openly agreed to do debates and willingly engaged in thought talks not only during our meetings, but at state conventions as well. Our chapter has organized fundraising/misc. events by placing volunteers in charge of committees. Juan Aguiñaga debates NASA at Fall State

Chapter Shirts : 

Chapter Shirts One example of a committee was the Chapter Shirt Committee. It was created to design, order, and distribute chapter shirts in time for Spring State. Committee chair Julio Romero did a great job with both the design and the ordering process. This is what he was able to come up with.

Fundraising : 

Fundraising To fundraise for chapter activities: We sold snacks at basketball games and afterschool. We served cinnamon rolls to teachers for breakfast. The profits made from these sales helped fund members to attend Fall State, Winter Congress, and Spring State at more affordable rates, and in some cases, free due to income status.

Gabriel Ozuna for GCR Senator : 

Gabriel Ozuna for GCR Senator This year, our Chapter President, Gabriel Ozuna, ran for the position of Senator for the Gulf Coast Region in the Texas JSA. With the support of his chapter and fellow GCR members, he won his Senatorial election by a landslide in the first vote. His election further shows how IDEA’s JSA chapter members have fully progressed and integrated themselves into the Texas JSA.

Team “Bonding” : 

Team “Bonding” On our long, 6-10 hour drives to state wide conferences throughout the year, we bonded as a chapter. From the beginning of the year to now, we not only grew closer but have become a family. In and out of JSA, our members have formed friendships with each other thanks to our JSA chapter.

Overcoming Challenges : 

Overcoming Challenges One of the qualities that we believe show a chapter’s commitment to JSA is how it can surmount challenges it encounters: We (literally) faced last minute transportation issues that were out of our control and unfortunately had to limit our attendance to Winter Congress BUT we made it a point to represent our chapter regardless of our restrictions. The resignation of our original chapter president who stepped down for personal reasons. Financial struggles that included the need to raise money and help with chapter finances for members who fell under the poverty line. The results of these efforts allowed us to bring 19 students to the Spring State Convention.

Reasons why IDEA should be Considered for the JSA National Civic Impact Award: : 

Reasons why IDEA should be Considered for the JSA National Civic Impact Award: From humble beginnings, we expanded greatly. We were involved in various chapter activities. We did our best to stick true to the mission of JSA in our community. We integrated ourselves into the Texas JSA community. We overcame challenges and grew stronger as a chapter while doing so. We made issues in the political arena enjoyable and entertaining for all of our members, our school, and our community at large.

Slide 22: 

Members from left to right: TOP: Jascha Jimenez, Daniel Dacasa, Daniel Ybarra. MIDDLE: Ariana Holmes, Uriel Restrepo, Gabriel Ozuna, Miranda Marty. FRONT: Claudia Perez, Katya Medina, Bea Medina, Veronica Garcia, Dacia Clark.