NORFOLK – No matter where you came from, never forget your roots.
That advice was shared by Roger Garcia of Omaha during the annual Latino Youth Summit on Friday, Sept. 27, at Northeast Community College.
Garcia discussed what it means to be Latino, Hispanic, Mexican or other nationalities, along with first-generation, second-generation and other generations of immigrants.
Garcia said people will look at Facebook or other social media and see the “pretty pictures, but they don’t know the struggles you have been through.”
“Remember where your family came from. Remember where your parents came from, all the hard work that they went through. Take that as inspiration for yourself to move forward and overcome the difficulties that you face as well.”
Garcia was the keynote speaker for the summit, which attracted 260 students from Fremont High School, Madison High School, Norfolk High School, O’Neill High School, South Sioux City High School, Wakefield High School, West Point-Beemer High School and Wisner-Pilger High School.
Garcia knows about struggles and overcoming them. He lost 60 pounds, became a kick boxer and won a national championship in Muay Thai, which is a kickboxing martial art that originated in Thailand. He was elected to the Metro Community College Board of Commissioners where he served two terms.
Most recently, he was elected and became the first Latino and first millennial elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. He has represented the U.S. Government in Taiwan and was part of a delegation representing the United States in Israel.
Garcia recalled humble beginnings, being born in Los Angeles and moving to Columbus in 1998 when he was young.
“Here I am, a kid from Columbus, Nebraska, who grew up in the trailer park, from immigrant parents, who worked hard but had a difficult story,” Garcia said.
As he got older, especially attending the University of Nebraska-Omaha, he became “more comfortable in my own skin.”
“I started feeling proud about being Latino and being involved in the Latino community and learning more about my heritage and my culture,” Garcia said.
Garcia’s parents came from Honduras and Mexico. He said his most important role now is being a dad to his two daughters.
“I spend a lot of time with my children because I love them very much,” Garcia said.
The first time he ran for county commissioner was in 2020, Garcia lost by three votes out of 7,000 votes. Garcia said he didn’t take it to heart because an office or a position doesn’t define him.
“I know who I am. I am Roger Garcia who loves helping people, loves working for nonprofits, who loves his family and is involved in his community and is a child of God. I know who I am.”
The commissioner who defeated him by three votes died about a year later, another election was held in 2021, and Gracia won that one, defeating 13 others.
Everyone must get through losses in life. For Garcia, that also has included the losses of loved ones in his family. Such losses challenge people and result in them asking, “Why?” but it is something everyone must work through in their own ways.
Garcia also saw his father when he was 6, then didn’t see him for 16 years. He was “not the nicest to my mom,” he said.
“He also didn’t try to find me or be like, ‘Hey, I still care about you,’” Garcia said.
By the time, he was in college, Garcia decided to reach out to him and forgive him, hoping to learn about his father’s parents and his Mexican heritage so he could learn more about himself.
Friday’s session included breakout sessions, including a student and professional panel that answered questions. The students were Northeast students Alberto Cartela and Carolina Carvajal, with the professional panel consisting of Mayra Mendoza and Juan Sandoval.
President Leah Barrett provided a welcome for the summit, encouraging students who speak two languages to be proud of their abilities.
Latino Youth Summit
Roger Garcia of Omaha, who grew up in Columbus, discussed what it means to be Latino or Hispanic during the annual Latino Youth Summit at the Lifelong Learning Center in Norfolk on Friday, Sept. 27. (Northeast Community College)
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