Support XicanX Education

Saludos, 

You may know me from our community as Mickey or my childhood nickname, Michi!

I am currently living in Wisconsin as a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Recipient

I am asking for your support to overcome financial barriers so I may continue growing alongside our community as a Local Badger and achieve academic fruition for myself and future generations at UW-Madison.

I am allocating the funds to secure food and housing on Campus, where I will attend the 2024-2025 UW Odyssey Project with The University of Wisconsin-Madison. With your support covering the anticipated VISP UW-Madison Undergraduate Estimated Cost of Living Expenses, I can show up in our community as an artist in residency and openly share my creative gifts with our community. I will be enrolled as a "Special Student" at UW Madison during the Odyssey Program.

 Please keep in mind that for me to attend UW-Madison as an undergraduate DACA Student, I would have to pay at Level VISP (as an international student), which is why this is the projected cost of attendance anticipated living expenses that I will reference to project my overdue Academic Reparations in the State of Wisconsin.

*The Total Estimated Cost of two undergraduate semesters for me at UW-Madison for 2024-2025 is $63,328 per WISC.EDU

I became the first of my family to Graduate high school in 2016 from the Deforest Area School District in Wisconsin. I have lived in Wisconsin since age three; you can hear a distinct "Midwest accent" in my voice whenever I express myself passionately. Looking back at my achievements while putting together this GoFundMe, I found a Norski Student of The Month Nomination from the Deforest Area High School Administration that reads, "Michell Is a great example of a "finished product" of the District. I can say with confidence that my education with DASD has no doubt shaped me to become the lifelong learner that I am today.

Being a Norski Graduate means that for everything we have the privilege to learn, we must find a way to give it back. The Norski Nation cares about future generations and shows that students can thrive by building solid educational foundations. I am grateful that The Norski Nation named, honored, and watered my forward-thinking by allowing me to become a leader in the District. The DASD Administration invited me to participate in the 2016 Superintendent Candidate Interviews. I had the privilege of Participating in The Deforest Leo Club 2014-2016 as the Club President, where I had my first go at shaving my head at school (yes, at school) to donate my hair for Locks of Love in addition to raising money for The American Cancer Society through our fundraising efforts. Additionally, while at DASD, I Achieved An Award of Occupational Proficiency signed by Tony Evers, PhD, in recognition of my successful completion of the Wisconsin Assistant Child Care Teacher Certification Program in May 2015.

After High School Graduation, I faced the problematic reality that being a DACA recipient meant that in the pursuit of further education, I did not legally qualify for FAFSA, which also disqualified me from many scholarship opportunities. I decided to venture into the unknown world of healthcare, and I went on to work at SSM St. Mary's Hospital in Madison. With relentless hard work and dedication, I went from being denied entry-level positions in healthcare food service to, then years later, becoming a Patient Financial Advocate with SSM. Since then, I have worked in the world of health care, from private practice to community health care centers, where my purpose has been to show up with compassion to highlight where we are as a state and system while remaining focused on how we can show up improved for the betterment in the lives and wellness of our community at large. The Norski Nation taught me how to build cross-cultural bridges of understanding and compassion.

In recent years, I have traveled across Wisconsin in Democracy Tours, where I have begun to learn the history and value of community with and through the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. In the Summer of 2023, I had the privilege of participating in the Menominee Led Creation Water Walk, where I heard the Creation Story from Elders in the community. I am excited to share that we, as people in the community, are interconnected in the most beautiful ways through Land, Water, and what we know as nature. I am excited to continue my Earth Walk in Wisconsin and across Turtle Island, believing that by coming together and celebrating each other, we will embrace Justice and change in our world. I hope you are excited to hear that in alignment with the Norski Nation in recent years, I have collaborated with Madison's Local High Schools to share the teachings and continue challenging myself to learn from our future leaders. I must express my deepest gratitude to Mx. Gomez and East High School for paving the way and lighting my path to equitable education and the teachings of self-determination. Please consider also supporting XIES or the Xicano Institute for Education and Self-Determination. Last year, I co-facilitated a two-week educational program that XIES hosted free of charge for high school and college students at the Madison Area Technical College.

I am excited to share that in May of 2024, I graduated from The Elevando Wisconsin Program through The University of Wisconsin- Madison Division of Extension. The program challenged me to learn more about myself and how I show up as a leader in our community. While simultaneously teaching me to learn firsthand what adversities the LatinE community in Wisconsin is undergoing. In August of 2023, I obtained a certificate from The University of Wisconsin-Madison School for Workers in recognition of attendance and participation in Voces Essential Workers Rights Network Workplace Safety and Leadership Institute. I now have an excellent network of alums to lean into and support me as I continue my educational journey. Most importantly, a network of individuals as determined as I am to bring new resources and opportunities to fruition for future generations.

Lastly, a huge thank you to The Educational Equity Network, which facilitates quarterly educational Institutes from which I have had the privilege to receive additional educationally rich certifications in 2024.

I thank you for your support. I commit myself to continue sharing the journey. Please allow and support me in becoming yet again the best version of myself for our community through Education. 

I look forward to receiving and abundantly giving back. Cheers to the community!