Sophomore Jordan De La Garza already served once as President in Washington, D.C., and in January he hopes to return for a second term.
De La Garza was nominated to participate in Envision’s 2017 Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit, where he will attend Inaugural festivities, hone his leadership skills, and collaborate with other college students from across the country to address national and global issues. This year, De La Garza will rub elbows with speakers like Generals Colin Powell and Stanley McChrystal; Director Spike Lee; Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley; former Presidential Candidate Carly Fiorini; Retired Soccer Star Abby Wambach; Donna Brazile, Interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee; and Tucker Carlson, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Caller.
“It is a tremendous honor to be able to see this historic event take place and a tremendous honor to be chosen to come back,” said De La Garza.
Two years ago, as a high school senior from Sequin, Del La Garza was a delegate to Envision’s National Youth Leadership Forum: Careers in National Security, Diplomacy, Intelligence, and Defense. As part of the “Washington” subgroup, a gathering a 20 high school leaders mirroring government officials, De La Garza was elected President and the group was tasked with coming up with a solution on how to fight drug cartels in the South, who were distributing drugs in the U.S. and killing citizens.
As a double major in criminal justice and psychology, with a minor in political science, Del La Garza has big dreams, hoping to become Chief Executive for the U.S. Before that, he has his sights on becoming a Texas Ranger.
“Ever since I was three years old, I wanted to be a Texas Ranger and then go into politics,” said De La Garza. “The Rangers are the elite of the elite.”
De La Garza would like to investigate the use of robotics during his criminal justice career and find new ways to give back to the community through entrepreneurship.
Following a career with the Texas Rangers, Garza plans to enter politics. “I was raised to help the less fortunate and to protect the innocent,” he said.
To prepare for his role as a lawmaker, De La Garza plans to live on the streets of a major city for up to two months to see what social services truly work for the poor. He hopes to use that knowledge to create better policies and programs in the United States.
De La Garza is in pursuit of the American dream and he credits his teachers, friends, and family for getting him on the right track. “They expect big, big things from me,” said De La Garza.
Along the way, De La Garza has faced obstacles that threaten to derail his efforts. Several years ago, his mother was diagnosed with leukemia and experienced three strokes, but she is now winning her battle against the disease. A few months ago, his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer and his treatment have just begun. Both illnesses have put a strain on the family budget.
De La Garza started a GoFundMe account to help him reach his goals to raise $3,400 to return to Washington. “It inspires me and I have met many wonderful people,” he said.
For information on how to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/presidential-inauguration-l-summit-2tpfchw.