Country of Origin

Guatemala and Mexico

Education

University of Florida: Bachelor of Arts - Political Science and International Studies with a focus in Latin America

Certifications

American Bar Association’s Children’s Immigration Academy 

Get to Know Velgui

I am a first-generation college grad and the eldest of five. I partake in my free time volunteering at cool organizations like Immigreatness, reading Dune and other sci-fi classics, running under the Florida sun, or attending pilates classes. While at the University of Florida, I immersed myself in organizations related to my culture and the legal profession. I held executive roles in the Pre-Legal Honor Society and Hispanic Student Association. My proudest moments at the University were hosting the Latin American Summit, a 2-day conference where I worked for two years to get important Latino American leaders like Anthony Ramos to the legendary Dolores Huerta and highlight the Latino achievement to students. Outside of UF, I worked as an Outreach Intern with Florida Community Innovation and the Bob Graham Center on public resource communications and researching domestic violence victims' accessibility to legal resources in Spanish. I have also helped the Mayan-Indigenous diaspora community in my hometown, where I tutored and connected mentors from UF to elementary students.

I am a Guatemalan-Mexican 1st Generation American. I joined ImmiGreatness to support others going through the systemic process of higher education in the United States.