{"id":4014,"date":"2022-01-28T14:14:09","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T19:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/?p=4014"},"modified":"2025-07-21T12:21:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T16:21:41","slug":"student-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/student-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

K<\/span>imberly Vasquez \u201925<\/strong><\/span> is quick to credit her experience with SOMOS (Students Organizing a Multicultural and Open Society) and its members and mentors, as well as collaborations with organizations across the city, for her emergence as a leading voice in the debate over the digital divide. Vasquez, highlighted in national media for her work, says her peers\u2019 and mentors\u2019 tireless contributions helped shine a spotlight on the causes and bring change in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

In 2020, while Vasquez was a junior at Baltimore City College high school, the pandemic forced schools and students to move to virtual learning. That transition was a turning point for Vasquez, who had difficulty accessing remote learning from home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wondered how I was supposed to succeed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Vasquez turned to SOMOS, the student group run by Franca Muller Paz \u201910<\/strong><\/span>, and quickly realized that students across the city couldn\u2019t access their virtual classes because of a lack of resources, devices, and hot spots. The lack of digital equity was exacerbated by the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Her peers at SOMOS helped organize protests with the Baltimore Teachers Union to highlight student voices in the fight and demand that the city\u2019s internet provider, Comcast, increase speeds and offer plans accessible to low-income families.<\/p>\n

Working with Baltimore City Councilmember Zeke Cohen \u201908<\/strong><\/span>, Vasquez and other SOMOS members spoke to the city council, which resulted in the allocation of $3 million toward Baltimore City Schools for devices. Through that collaboration, the idea of creating a \u201cDigiCorp\u201d in Baltimore, where people could learn how to use the internet and gain access to community resources, was also discussed.<\/p>\n

In spring 2021, Vasquez spoke to Vice President Kamala Harris during a virtual panel and presented this idea as a national model to help address the digital divide. \u201cIt was a big opportunity,\u201d she says. \u201cI was lucky enough to present it to her. It was a collaboration among many groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Vasquez is working with Cohen, the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition, and other advocates to create a DigiCorp with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been labeled as activists, but I didn\u2019t choose the digital divide,\u201d she says. \u201cI was either going to do something about not going to class or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

She views her involvement with these causes from a holistic point of view. Vasquez, who was honored by Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott with the 2021 Mayor\u2019s Hispanic Heritage Award – Emerging Leader, says being honored is not just about her work but also a recognition for SOMOS and the power that youth hold.<\/p>\n

In fall 2021, Vasquez found her way to Goucher through the active community of Baltimore-area alumnae\/i who work in and around the city. She wanted to stay near the city, as she felt her advocacy work there was not done.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I had no idea about where I wanted to go [to college] because I am a first-generation student,\u201d she says. \u201cFranca Muller Paz introduced me to Goucher. I loved the way she taught, and I learned a lot from her. She talked about how much she learned at Goucher.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Goucher, along with adjusting to being a first-year college student, Vasquez is also working toward connecting students who are first-gen, immigrants, adopted, and more as the co-president of the Nomad student organization. She says her work has driven her to consider public service and political science as top contenders for her major.<\/p>\n

Says Vasquez, \u201cI am excited about what is next for me at Goucher.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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