We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carlos Espina a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Carlos, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
My goal in life is very simple: I wish to leave this world a better place than it was when I arrived.
When I was little, I always had the dream of being rich and buying nice cars, big houses, going on lavish trips, and living the life of those that society tells us are “successful”. However, as I began to grow and see the world for what it truly is, I realized that there are more important things in life than amassing obscene amounts of wealth. Of course, money is important. But once you reach a point of stability, there is no need to be greedy. Why have a mansions when others life on the street? Why buy luxury cars when others don’t have shoes? Why have millions when others have nothing? At the end of the day, you won’t take any of these material things with you to the grave. However, what will matter in your final days is the way people will remember you and the legacy you left on the world.
This mind set has led me to focus not on making money, but on making an impact in the life of others. Every day, I wake up looking for new ways to use my knowledge, skills, and resources to help those who are less fortunate. I might not have much, but I have enough to have a positive effect on others. Knowing that someone else is better off thanks to me is a lot more gratifying than any amount of money or material possession. That is why I do what I do. And I hope that when I am on my death bed, I will be able to look back and say “I made a positive impact on the world”. That is all I ask for.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My story began in Montevideo, Uruguay. It wasn’t supposed to be that way, but my mom’s deportation a short while before I was born complicated things. Thus, on December 9, 1998, instead of being born in Texas, I was born in Montevideo. It would take my mom five years and a series of legal barriers to fix her status, after which we returned to Texas and reunited with my dad. Once in the United States, struggles with assimilation made my life difficult. The first memories I have of life in the United States include countless nights crying in my mother’s arms, asking when we would be returning to live in Uruguay, only to be told that returning was not possible. At the time, I did not understand our situation and resented living in a seemingly unwelcoming and foreign place. However, things began to change when, through school and sports, I started meeting and befriending other kids who were also immigrants. By creating community with my peers from similar backgrounds, I realized that I was not alone and learned to navigate the complex environment we found ourselves in.
As I got older and educated myself more on the realities of the world, I realized that many of the things we had normalized as kids, such as poverty, inaccessibility to proper education, racism, and other problems affecting many members of my community were not in fact normal, but instead structural issues that require action to be fixed. Therefore, I began looking for ways to create positive change, which in the early years of high school came in the form of volunteering in ESL programs at school, get-out-the-vote initiatives for the Latino community, and teaching citizenship classes in Spanish and English through Brazos Interfaith Immigration Network. These early experiences were fulfilling and motivated me to continue my community work and brainstorm ways to amplify my service.
The culmination of this process was Football for the Future, a nonprofit organization I created in 2017 that provides free summer soccer and educational camps for youth in Bryan/College Station whose parents do not have the means to pay for traditional camps. During this first year, despite only having five volunteers and donated equipment, we were highly successful and served 105 kids. To date, Football for the Future has served over 500 kids, 90% of whom come from low-income households, worked with over 100 volunteers, and raised thousands of dollars for programming, scholarships, and other community events.
With this background, I entered Vassar College determined to excel academically and grow as a leader, hoping to better prepare myself on how to serve vulnerable and marginalized communities. By overloading on courses, I managed to graduate in three years, obtaining a degree in both Political Science and Latin American Studies with a minor in Hispanic Studies. However, this rigorous workload did not stop me from continuing my community work, and I was able to serve as an English tutor and mentor for ESL kids at the local middle school, a language instructor for the Hispanic Studies Department, and be an active member in various organizations both at Vassar and the City of Poughkeepsie. My senior year, I was even elected to serve as the Vassar Student Association President.
These three years of experience and education opened many doors for me and brought me back to what has always driven me: Love for my community. A love that was tested in early 2019, when a lifelong friend of mine was detained by ICE and sent to the South Texas Detention Complex. Just like my mom over 20 years prior, my friend was facing deportation. Only that now, thanks to years of education and community work, I was in a position to do something. My friend knew this, so he put his trust in me and reached out for help. Immediately, I mobilized, collecting letters of support on his behalf, sending him money, and facilitating communication with his lawyer. Within three months, he was released and is now with us.
My friends’ experience and the tragic reality that many of my friends and community members are one unfortunate event from ending up in the same situation inspired me to create my second nonprofit: The Detained Refugee Solidarity Fund. Through this organization, I support hundreds of immigrants detained by ICE by writing them letters, talking on the phone, visiting, and depositing money so they communicate with family and buy basic necessities inside detention. Through grassroots organizing, I’ve now raised over $30,000 and exchanged thousands of letters and phone calls. The groundbreaking work done by the Detained Refugee Solidarity Fund has drawn the attention of local, national, and international media outlets.
After graduating from Vassar in May 2020, I continued to manage my nonprofits while also expanding my work. Due to COVID-19, I was forced to adapt to a quickly changing world and took my activism online. After investing thousands of hours into creating social media content that seeks to educate and uplift the immigrant community, I have amassed over 8 million followers across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Thanks to this sudden growth and exposure, I’ve been able to connect with and inspire thousands around the country, and am now being recognized at a national level as an emerging young leader in my community.
Through all this aforementioned work, I’ve realized that with modern ideas, we can create a better future and solve the problems my community and all other marginalized groups face. I’ve also realized that this will require driven, educated, and innovative leaders willing to put in the work necessary to challenge existing power structures. For these reasons, in August 2021 I started law school with the goal of becoming an immigration attorney to continue helping my community as a more prepared and educated advocate. By acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and challenge the complex legal system that affects my community every day, I will hone my existing skills, expand on them, and take my work to new heights. At the same time, furthering my knowledge of immigration law will allow me to continue what I love most: Using my skills to uplift those around me. Inspired by my past, I am ready to change the future.
Once I graduate, my goal is to move back to Texas and create a community center to serve my people. Ideally, this center will provide legal services, english and citizenship classes, art and sports camps for youth, and any other needed services. I know it will not be easy to accomplish this goal, but I am ready for the challenge.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
When I first got into the professional world, I held the belief that I had to do everything on my own and could not trust anyone else. My fear was that no one would be interested in my ideas or be as passionate as I was. With my first ventures and projects, I tried to do everything myself. I wanted to be leader and executer. And while I was able to achieve many things, this dynamic ultimately led to me burning out and my growth stunting. I realized that I could not do everything alone. I needed others.
That is when I began reaching out to others. Seeking volunteers, collaborators, and mentors. It was not easy seeking this help, but it was worth it. Quickly, I realized that the world is full of kind-hearted people that like me want to truly help others. It might sound like a cliche, but you truly can’t do it alone.
Thanks to seeking this help, I was able to scale up all my projects and grow in ways I never had before. Today, almost all my projects are collaborative and involve many others. I’ve accepted that I can’t change the world by myself, and that’s okay. However, working with others, we can make a true impact.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I graduated college in May of 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic. I had no graduation, and because of complications caused by the pandemic, I had no job. My goal of working for my dream nonprofit had been crushed and I felt like I was completely lost.
In those moments of desperation, I had the choice of either giving up or to keep pushing forward. I chose the latter and began to look for alternatives. In the middle of a storm, I searched for a rainbow. Eventually, it occurred to me that the shift to online could be used to my advantage, so I began putting myself out there on social media. On a daily basis, I published content on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, sharing my thoughts and opinions. I was not expecting much, but in less than a month I managed to gain over 50 thousand followers. From there, the growth was exponential.
Today, I have over 8 million followers across platforms and continue to post daily content. Now, what started as an idea during the pandemic has become my job and brought me blessings I never imagined. Had I gave up 3 years ago, I don’t know where I would be. But I am glad I didn’t and decided to push forward. Even during life’s hardest moments, you must look for the positives.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CarlosEduardoEspina.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlos_eduardo_espina/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlosEduardoEspina1998
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-eduardo-espina-aa73b8157/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cespina1998
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CarlosEduardoEspina/featured
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@carlos_eduardo_espina