Campus Progress Talks to the Student Keynote Winners

This year’s Campus Progress National Conference fired up the over 1000 young people who attended, thanks in no small part to three of the country’s most promising young leaders who were selected to deliver speeches of promise and hope.

Jamira Burley, David Cho, and Kevin Sanchez entered the Campus Progress/Huffington Post College Keynote Contest, and, after more than 200,000 votes were counted, all three were selected to speak at the 2010 #CPNC.

Burley, Cho, and Sanchez sat down for an interview with CP the night before they delivered their speeches to the conference attendees.

Campus Progress: How did you first hear about the Keynote Contest?

Jamira Burley: I got an email the day it was due, and I ran home after work and did the video. It was very spur of the moment. I actually got an email from Campus Progress, basically saying ‘hey did you apply for this? Did you know about this?’ and I was like ‘no, I didn't.’ Good timing.

Kevin Sanchez: I heard about it a few days before the due date too, and it was actually from a friend from the Student Peace Alliance who had emailed me and said ‘Hey, would you like me to enter you into this contest?’ And I said sure, let’s do it.

David Cho: I got an email from my friend a couple of days before the contest [deadline], too. I work with IDEAS at UCLA, a student-run organizations that advocates for the passage of the DREAM Act, and my friend Matias forwarded me the email about the contest, so that’s how I heard about it.

What was it about the contest that appealed to you? Why did you apply in the first place?

JB: I think for me it was the opportunity to really talk about issues that I’m very passionate about in a national arena. I think too often our voices get shuffled into the background or get thrown under the rug and this was kind of an opportunity to talk to our peers about what we think is most important. That was it for me.

KS: It was an opportunity to bring light to the Youth Promise Act and to really speak for the young men and women that I’ve worked for since I was 17 years old. You’ve got more people dying here [in the United States] than in a war and we’re not addressing it the way that we should be addressing it. This is a great vehicle for getting this message out there and really showing young people that there are people like us, that are willing to stand up and willing to fight for them.

DC: For me, I’m a very involved with grassroots organizing back in Los Angeles, California. I wanted to really get the message across on how important the DREAM Act is, especially right now on a national level. It just so happened that the contest deadline was three days after CNN was there to film me, my speech and an immigration rally. I thought that was just the perfect opportunity for me to enter into this contest to let people know how important the DREAM Act is right now. So many children and young students’ dreams are being shattered by our broken immigration system. I really think that we need to take small steps towards comprehensive immigration reform, because we can’t achieve that big chunk all at once. So we need to find bipartisan support and legislation like the DREAM Act and move forward with it.

CP: What do you hope to get out of your speech tomorrow? What do you hope students will take away?

JB: I know personally, from when I come in contact with young people, that they don't think that they have what it takes to really push something forward and really make a difference, not only in their communities but in the nation itself.

And I feel like this is an opportunity to really bring to the forefront that we are the driving force behind America. What I really want is to make people realize that we do have the power, we do have the voice, and all we have to do is make sure, force people to listen to us and understand that we do have concerns and issues that should be discussed now.

KS: I meet a lot of people and I hear a lot of speeches, but I feel to truly address youth violence and violence all together across this nation, you have to really get at the heart of people.

We can talk until people’s ears fall off. We can talk to the politicians. We can talk to the hard core gang members, but really what’s going to touch them is bringing them down to our level.

I may not be the best speaker, or memorize the best, but to truly let people know about issues, if stuff is real, is when you put a face to the immigration issue and you put a face to the youth involvement issue, when you put a face to the youth and violence issue. These are real people.

DC: Jamira and Kevin both said great things, I just want to add: I really want to inspire people, especially the undocumented youth to come out publicly to push for the DREAM Act, because that’s a huge thing—especially from the Asian American community.

A lot of people think that immigration is solely focused on people who are Latino, but it’s also affecting a lot of Asian Americans too. It’s hard for us to come out publicly because it really goes against our culture. We don't want a show, or tell other people about our status, but it’s really important that we all come out publicly to unite together and fight for the same cause all together.

So that’s why I’m here, to inspire them, to tell people how important it is to push for the DREAM Act this year.

JB: I think one thing that people forget is that too often we have people who are talking about issues or talking about pieces of legislation, but they don't actually represent the people who are being disenfranchised. A lot of times politicians speak on behalf of people that they don't necessarily represent, so I think this is a good change.

Campus Progress: Where do you see yourself beyond college? How will the work you’re doing now manifest itself in five or ten years?

JB: People that know me think that I know what I want to do in five, ten years, but to be honest, I don't. I just know I want to work with something that I’m passionate about, which is empowering youth, and providing them with tools to make them successful.

I just know I want to work for an organization or be part of a movement that is actually working to build up our young people and fight for the issues that are most important to them.

KS: I’m getting a degree in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Peace and Social Justice.

I think we can institutionalize this type of work so that people like Jamira, people like David, people like myself are able to get real, legitimate jobs and get paid the money that they pay other people to sit down in these little offices drinking their lattes and getting paid $55 an hour.

DC: I mentioned in my speech, I want to...

JB: Save the world.

[Laughter]

DC: I want to serve in the U.S. Air Force after graduation. I’ve always wanted to do it as a kid.

After that, I want to go to grad school and I really want to go to Harvard, to the Kennedy School of Government. My ultimate goal is to become a U.S. Senator. So I’ve got 9 years, I’m 21.

JB: I would vote for you, just to let you know.

KS: I would vote for you too.

Check out videos of these three promising leaders speaking live to the more than 1,000 people who attended this year's CPNC:

Jamira Burley delivered a rousing speech in support of programs against youth violence:

David Cho and his father drove from California to Washington so he could deliver his speech. He spoke on the pressure he feels as an undocumented student in the United States:

Kevin Sanchez asked the audience to break the cycle of violence that leads many children from the "cradle to the cell." Visit www.youthpromiseaction.org for more information.

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