Students Take Their Advocacy to Capitol Hill

Two students traded the classroom for the halls of Congress last week, traveling to Washington, D.C., to advocate for federal funding that supports student success at institutions like CSN.

For both students, it was their first time visiting the nation’s capital.

Iltze Pimienta, a psychology major and president of the Latino Student Alliance, and Alicia Vargas, an early childhood education major and secretary of the Latino Student Alliance, joined CSN staff for a series of meetings with Nevada’s congressional and senatorial representatives. The trip, organized by CSN’s Office of External Relations, focused on securing funding for Minority-Serving Institutions and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

Both students are set to graduate this May with their associate degrees.

“We had several productive meetings discussing the good work we’ve done and are doing at our college,” said Abraham Gomez, who helped coordinate the visit.

Pimienta has been an active presence on campus through her leadership in the Latino Student Alliance and her commitment to community service. Vargas brings a similar energy to her role as a student ambassador for the Office of Recruitment, where she regularly connects with prospective students considering CSN.

The visit gave both women a chance to put their advocacy into action at the federal level, making the case for why institutions like CSN deserve continued investment.

Clarissa Cota, vice president of External Relations and Campus Operations, noted the group met with representatives to highlight the meaningful work happening at CSN and the impact federal funding has on students across the college.

For Pimienta and Vargas, the trip was a chance to represent their campus, their community, and the students who will come after them.