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Julieta Garibay
Julieta Garibay
01:55

Julieta Garibay

United We Dream

Washington, DC USA

"Where there is darkness, there is also going to be light. But it doesn’t come fast; it comes through a lot of hard work, a lot of commitment."

Career Roadmap

Julieta's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Politics, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Deputy Advocacy Advisor

I work to fight for a country where folks are treated right regardless of their color of skin or where they come from.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Nursing Practice

    The University of Texas at Austin

  • Graduate Degree

    Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing

    The University of Texas at Austin

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    She was brought to the United States from Mexico when she was 12 because her mom was running away from an abuser.

  • 2.

    After graduating from high school, she realized she wouldn’t be able to go to college because of her undocumented status.

  • 3.

    She made the difficult decision to move back to Mexico; however, when she arrived, she felt like an outsider because people would tell her she was too “Americanized.”

  • 4.

    When she came back to the United States—still lacking papers—there was a pilot program in place to get undocumented Texans in-state tuition rates for college.

  • 5.

    Went to Dallas Community College and got her associate’s degree in nursing, which had always been her dream job.

  • 6.

    But when she heard about the DREAM Act, she realized she had a new purpose: she started organizing for the cause.

  • 7.

    Co-founded the University Leadership Initiative (ULI) at the University of Texas, Austin, which was one of the first undocumented youth-led organizations in the nation.

  • 8.

    ULI banded together with several other student-run groups to form United We Dream, now the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the country.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from undefined:

  • How I responded:

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

Click to expand

  • I came here when I was 12. My mom was running away from an abusive father. It was just my mom, sister, and I.