Paul Quiñonez is a political science and economics double major at Gonzaga University. Originally from Minatitlan, Colima, Mexico Paul was raised in Pasco, Washington and has always been interested in advocating for and serving the immigrant community. Throughout his high school years Paul did so by volunteering as an interpreter at the Franklin County Courthouse during elections, using his bilingual skills in assisting AARP as an interpreter during tax season, and by being a teacher’s assistant in an ESL classroom at Stevens Middle School.
Upon entering college Paul continued his efforts by meeting with elected officials in Olympia, Washington to advocate for the REAL Hope Act, a recently passed bill which granted undocumented students in Washington State eligibility for state financial aid. Additionally, Paul spent a semester in DC as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute intern in Senator Stabenow’s office to acquire a better knowledge of the legislative process and how he can best serve his community. While in DC, Paul continued his advocacy efforts and participated in a march from Georgetown University to the White House in support of immigration reform, amongst other things.
Following his experience in Washington, DC Paul was accepted to the DHS Summer Scholars Academy in El Paso, TX. Through this experience Paul was able to observe a community which is directly impacted by immigration (El Paso is a border city) and its surrounding issues. Thanks to being in a border city during the time of the unaccompanied minors border crisis, Paul was also able to visit immigration detention facilities and see for himself how the federal government was attempting to cope with the issue. Now that he is back at Gonzaga University, Paul hopes to continue his advocacy work and share the social justice movements taking place at GU as part of the Ignatian Solidarity Network Media Team.