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So my name is Francisco, Javier Rodriguez Calderon, and I am a3l at Loyola Law School. Um, I am a Hispanic student and I am gay and have been gay since I was 16, openly.

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My my experience at Loyola Law School was one of tribulations, truthfully. Law school is always a difficult endeavor, I would say. And I don't know.

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I mean, I had a tough time. But what I have to say is that despite it being tough, it really was groups like outlaw groups like La Raza PRCA, even though they didn't necessarily align with

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me, it was those groups that kind of welcomed. And what ended up happening is that those people, perhaps it was their passion, perhaps it was the fact that they're also affinity groups and they're feeling kind of the

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same experiences. But what ended up happening is we kind of all just kind of sing. And I think it was the struggle and the work

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that we were doing. But those people like, became my friends and my community, and it became very powerful for me. Um, let's see.

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I, I like Alemu quite a bit, but I will say that what's made me love me, what's made me love less is the fact that I have these people that have a similar yearning for me.

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Being LGBTQ is not easy, especially in the law world. I mean, Hispanic is what, 6% of any law students. And beyond that, being queer, even beyond like racial identity. We're like 10% marks.

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So I'm a subsection of a subsection. And that kind of identity isn't always embraced or like highlighted at the school. But groups like these make me understand and make me

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feel that I can strike, that I can be kind of part of the community here, because if they can do it, I can do it. If there is a group that's an affinity group that

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is able to overcome these tribulations over able to surmount the mountain, then I have a chance to. So I suppose it's like as Outlaws President, that has been one of my big goals is I want to

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make sure that we're a welcoming, open place that really strives to make the campus not just open, but proud, like proud of us as LGBT students, as lawyers is what we could be and that we are associated with.

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Laughs. And I think that's what's really driven. My own advocacy on the campus is my own passion, and I know it is what it is and who

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knows if it'll ever come to fruition and what it will become. But in the moment it feels good to pursue that. And I think that's what's driven on.

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Wow. I can continue on if you want me to think. Memorable experience. A memorable experience?

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Well, I mean, apart from History Week, I mean, History Week has been truly spectacular. I spent the last year building this event. I've worked with administration.

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I've coordinated not just the outline board, but I've been coordinating administrative departments. And it's really like ordering around like I'm in charge. And it's been really formative for me because not only

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have I seen that I'm capable of doing this, but that the school is receptive, that we have students, that this is a banner, this is a flag that shows them that the school is welcoming, the school is there.

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But that's not just that. But they have support that we're there to make sure that they're successful. And if they need us, we'll always be there to

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back to back them up. So this event, this last week, we've had participation. We've had people come up to me. I've had people just walk up to me while I'm

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walking around the campus. And they've just told me how much this is meant to them. And it's.

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Symbolism means something. And I don't think that like, it's trite. I don't think that it's passing. I think symbolism can really be the banner that drives

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students forward and outward symbolizes not just like queer community, but queer excellence, queer support. And that's really powerful to me. That's what hurts.

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That's why I do what I do. Because in the end, it means that there's going to be another queer student that feels good about the campus, that feels like they're going to be okay at the

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end of this. And that's that's powerful. That was meaningful to me.