From Colorado to Des Moines Community Builder
Junior, Major in Law, Politics, and Society
Jose Garcia-Fuerte admits he didn’t initially feel comfortable at Drake University. He fell in love with Drake at orientation, but it was also a bit of culture shock for the student from Denver, Colorado.
Then, a fellow Drake student invited him to La Casa Cultural. It’s there that Jose found a new home on campus. Everything he had seen in his community in Denver, he saw at La Casa Cultural. From there, he became involved in La Fuerza Latina and Drake Student Senate.
The student group La Fuerza Latina does service work in the Des Moines community for Latinx youth. During his time at Drake, Jose has helped mentor Latinx middle school students, fundraised for scholarships, and held an expo where 800 Latinx students were bussed to Drake to tour campus, sit in classes, and eat in the dining halls.
Today, Jose is student body president and he is inspired by his fellow Bulldogs who stand up and speak up when they see opportunities for change. He sees that Drake’s smaller campus setting allows students to encourage change.