Las Vegas-area first-generation college students to share stories

Stolen land, slavery, discrimination and genocide are the themes of a poem Alan Cruz of North Las Vegas wrote about America for an upcoming storytelling showcase.

“The poem is about my own struggle — being queer, indigenous, disabled — different topics that are more taboo,” Cruz said. “It’s about going through these different identities and how to navigate the world with them.”

Cruz, now 18 and a student at the College of Southern Nevada, has undergone six surgeries since age 3 to treat Marfan syndrome, a rare condition that affects the body’s connective tissue. It essentially causes Cruz’s chest to sink, he said, as well as several other health issues.

He’s one of eight students performing in the inaugural Firstgen Voices Storytelling Showcase hosted by Leaders in Training, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing opportunities for first-generation college students.

“We consider ourselves a community-engagement group,” said Erica Mosca, founder of the organization. “We have about 160 students now, from ninth grade to college graduates. We accept students across the valley. We want them to know that they can be the change.”

Mosca founded the organization in 2012. She was teaching grade school in east Las Vegas and saw a need to bring resources outside of school to her students.

“I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, and that’s the case for a lot of these students,” Mosca said. “I used my savings to start it. … This is about giving them the tools they need to succeed.”

Fernando Benitez, 20, another youth leader performing in the showcase, said the organization helped him better prioritize for the future. He met Mosca in eighth grade during a presentation she was doing on behalf of Leaders in Training in his class.

“I didn’t have thoughts of going to college after high school,” Benitez said. “Ms. Mosca gives me hope. That’s what’s really kept me in school and doing community service. It makes me happy — gives me a purpose. ”

Benitez will tell the audience of his journey from El Salvador to the United States at 9 years old.

“The country wasn’t stable — still isn’t,” Benitez said of El Salvador. “The education system is messed up, people don’t have jobs, school is something people have to pay for. I’m glad I got out. By now, I would’ve been a gang member or something and not by choice. It’s a way of life there.”

Mosca said she hopes the showcase will connect the community to the students in the program and their mission.

“If you start early, you’ll get students who want to help,” Mosca said. “They are our future leaders.”

Contact Mia Sims at msims@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0298. Follow @miasims___ on Twitter.