REFLECTION 3

Dear EleSondra DeRomano,
First off, I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come educate our class. My name is Chelsey Arellano; I am a sophomore at Stanford studying International Relations and minnoring in Creative Writing. I have found this human trafficking class to be one of the most insightful courses I have taken thus far at Stanford. Having you speak today was one of the first times where a topic we discuss in class is explored outside of a classroom setting. Getting to know you and your personal experiences has truly broadened my perspective. I am extremely inspired by your ability to express your opinions and experiences as honestly and truly to you as possible. It is a great reminder that despite being worried that I will be making people in classrooms or academic events uncomfortable by being vulnerable about my experiences and honest about my reactions to others, my experiences are worth sharing. Your story also helped me solidify just how much impact one person can have in tackling broad issues that often seem too convoluted to begin fighting for. Your work in the various subfields of human trafficking truly shows how much work can be done in all of the overlapping sectors of awareness and intervention necessary to tackle the issue. There was one moment in particular that truly stuck out to me, which was your identity as a survivor providing you with a platoform of respect and credibility to bluntly approached girls caught in the vicious cycle that is coercion. It has inspired me to use my experiences more openly in vulnerable spaces I am passionate about, such as mental health awareness and Latinx discrimination.