By Justino Mora
Hello! My name is Justino Mora and I’m an immigrant rights activist, co-founder of UndocuMedia, and a self-taught programmer.
A few weeks ago, I was accepted into Codesmith’s Full-Stack JavasScript Bootcamp: a 12-week advanced immersive coding program. The bootcamp kicks off on June 5th, and I will be spending 70+ hours each week Monday through Saturday writing thousands of lines of code in order to sharpen my software engineering skills. This bootcamp will help me create even more powerful and effective tools to aid the anti-Trump resistance and empower the immigrant community.
A few things about me and my work and activism in the intersection of tech and immigration:
- helped gather upwards of 14,000 signatures for the CA DREAM Act, which grants financial aid to many undocumented students in California.
- helped the national efforts that ultimately pressured the Obama Administration to grant DACA
- co-founded UndocuMedia, an immigrant rights organization and one of the largest online communities of immigrant rights supporters in the country
- participated in the FWD.us DREAMer Hackathon where I helped develop an immigration advocacy application. The judges liked the tool so much (among them Mark Zuckerberg and Jose Antonio Vargas) that my team and I decided to integrate it into the FWD.us website
- was featured in the May, 2017 issue of VICE Magazine
- graduated from UCLA in 2015
Unfortunately, despite these accomplishments, as a DACA-beneficiary, I still face many obstacles that make it extremely difficult for me to afford the $17,200 tuition. This is the reason why I am asking for your financial support. If you can contribute, as generously as your circumstances permit, I promise you that every cent of your investment will pay off in powerful, technological, political mobilization for the hardworking immigrants of this country and against their many detractors. I hope you consider making a donation to my campaign and/or sharing this with you networks.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!