Christina Velazquez

An award-winning FIU student athlete, Christina Velazquez has worked hard to balance her many roles, including serving as an NCAA Division 1 soccer team member, and most importantly, an activist.

She coordinated FIU's food drive for the NCAA "Soccer United Against Hunger" Initiative to combat food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing donations to Feeding South Florida and the Miami Workers Center. She also participated as a member in the Florida Speakers Bureau, where she educated the local community about systemic issues including racism, women's health and LGBTQ concerns. She lobbied at the Florida Capitol for women's health and access and served as a Women's and Public Policy Intern for the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda: LatinasRepresent.

As the youngest of three daughters, Christina credits her family for igniting her drive and focus through nightly discussions of political and social issues at the family’s dinner table. At FIU, Christina worked as a research assistant at the Jorge M. Perez Metropolitan Center. She is an FIU Truman Scholarship finalist, received the Conference USA Academic Medal two years in a row, and was awarded the FIU Ambassador Merit Scholarship and the FIU Blue and Gold Coach's Award.

Christina plans to spend a year volunteering to solve public interest issues, then return to Miami to pursue a law degree. Eventually she hopes to lead change in her West Kendall community as a public interest lawyer working to provide access to resources, education and equity for her neighbors.

By Alexandra Bassil
Account Manager
Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Nominated by Victoria Burns