Hello! My name is Lourdes Montes, or Lulu for short. Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, I am happy to call Firestone Community Learning Center my alma mater. I am now a first year student at The Ohio State University studying social work. In high school, I was involved in soccer, the Student Coalition Against Violence, and volunteering with organizations such as Proyecto Raices and the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF). Community service has been such a life changing force and my passion all started with a spark from a role model.

Little Miss from LJFF has been an active influence since the day I met her. Her positivity, work ethic, and ability to connect with others is unmatched. Little Miss and her colleagues are why I want to devote my career to helping others. Many can agree that endless amounts of majors help the people around, but social work has many opportunities to expand on issues that affect minoritized groups. After experiencing social justice reform within the Latinx community, I am interested in adding a second major in public affairs and possibly a minor in Spanish. My Mexican-American perspective is a difference I embrace and want it to play a role in my career. I plan to get my BSSW and MSW in the 4+1 Program and hopefully be in charge of my own non-profit one day. My ultimate dream is to specialize in the development of a greater network of resources for immigrants who hope to integrate, not assimilate, in the United States and abroad.

On campus, I am a part Mount Leadership Society and the Morrill Scholarship Program. In Mount, I am a proud member of the newly formed Social Change committee. In Morrill, I am in the Recruitment and Looking Forward team. These two organizations are my foundation on how I want to represent my leadership while empowering myself and those around me. In addition to that, I am a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee in USG and am excited to work with another group of ambitious students. In my free time, I enjoy dancing for folkloric festivals, reading novels by Sandra Cisneros, and traveling to new places. These following years at OSU, I hope to unveil the future one day at a time, grow close with people from all backgrounds and take the meaning of collaboration to the next level.