Albuquerque Public Schools
Rio Grande Senior Elected to National JAG Post
Organization encouraged her to dream big and pursue a career in medicine.
Becoming a doctor won’t be easy, but Alondra Aguilera is up to the challenge.
The Rio Grande High School senior is planning to attend the University of New Mexico in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. She credits the Jobs For America’s Graduates program at her school with giving her the confidence to pursue her dream of getting into medical school and becoming a doctor.
“Before JAG, I had no idea that I could pursue a career that required a college degree,” Aguilera said. “I come from a family of immigrants, and this year, I will be a first-generation graduate and the first from my family to attend a four-year university. JAG has helped me explore different career paths and has given me hope for the future.”
She’s been in JAG her entire high school career and has been president of her chapter for the last three years. She’s not done with the program yet.
Aguilera was recently elected secretary of the 2024/2025 JAG National Career Association. In that capacity, she will serve around 80,000 students across the country.
She’s excited to serve as one of the group’s national leaders and to give back to other students in the same way the organization has helped her. She will travel to different Career Associations across the country to observe their Leadership Development Conference and will also attend the National Student Leadership Academy in Washington, D.C., to help students across the nation develop their leadership skills.
“JAG has helped me immensely, from inspiring me to attend a four-year college, to allowing me to explore different career paths,” Aguilera said. “JAG has also kept me on the path to graduation.”
She wants to use her experience as a child of immigrants to help others in similar situations.
“During my term as JAGCA National Secretary I plan to bridge that disconnect between students of immigrant parents and hope for future success,” she said. “I want to connect as many of these students to the resources and information needed to successfully enter the workforce and higher education seamlessly. While JAG already does a great job of this, I noticed through speaking to many students at the National Career Development Conference, that many students from immigrant backgrounds experience a greater disconnect from these resources.”