Jeanine Mason

Keynote Speaker and Actress, Roswell, New Mexico

Jeanine Mason can currently be seen starring on The CW’s new series Roswell, New Mexico as Liz Ortecho. The show’s second season premiered in March 2020 and has been renewed for season three.

Mason was most recently seen on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in the recurring role of Dr. Sam Bello. She was also seen in ABC Family’s Bunheads and ABC’s drama Of Kings and Prophets.

Her other past television credits include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Awkward., You’re the Worst, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Daytime Divas.

Mason was born and raised in Miami, Florida and started her acting career after winning season 5 of FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance. She graduated cum laude from UCLA in 2014 and currently lives in Los Angeles. She actively supports the non-profit Define American.

Uyen Nguyen

Student Speaker

Uyen Nguyen graduated cum laude from Davidson College with a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies and Economics. She is passionate about promoting social justice and reforming the criminal justice system. Witnessing the brutal injustice that her father, an undocumented man, experienced in immigration custody changed the direction of her life. Infuriated by her father’s injustice, she channeled her outrage into learning the judicial system and combating injustice in the system.

With the generosity of the Golden Door Scholarship, Uyen received a full scholarship to attend Davidson College and pursue her dream of higher education. She was recently named as the 2020-2021 Davidson Impact Fellow at the Georgia Justice Project. Her long-term goal is to become a lawyer who advocates for individuals who are wrongly accused of crimes and treated unfairly in the criminal justice system. Through legal advocacy, she hopes to reform the system that deprives the human rights of undocumented immigrants and incarcerated individuals.

Joella Roberts

Student Speaker

Joella Roberts is a DACA recipient from the beautiful twin islands known for carnival and calypso, Trinidad and Tobago. She is graduating this spring from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) with a baccalaureate in Business Administration. During her time at UDC, she served as the first undocumented student government vice president, president, and was then elected as the student representative to the Board of Trustees. In 2019, Joella co-founded the first organization to center undocumented students at an HBCU, Migration Matters. Joella is excited to celebrate her graduation and the start of her post-college career as the University Program Coordinator at FWD.us.

Axel Herrera Ramos

Student Speaker

Axel Herrera Ramos was born in Honduras and has called North Carolina home for over 14 years. He is a Golden Door Scholar graduating with a degree in Economics with a double major in Sociology. As a DACA recipient, he Co-founded the Define American Chapter at Duke which spearheaded uplifting the conversation about immigration issues on campus through the sharing of stories and advocacy. He is a Latinx 20 under 20 Listmaker and CHCI Alum. Apart from his devotion to service through working with youth in his Durham community, he aspires to empower others and uplift future generations of young immigrant leaders and activists.

Claudia Quinonez

Student Speaker

Claudia Quinonez is originally from Bolivia and has called Maryland home since 2006. She is a Dream. US Scholarship recipient graduating magna cum laude from Trinity Washington University with a B.A. in Political Science and part of Pi Sigma Alpha, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Iota Rho Honor Societies. For the last two years, Claudia has served as the DC, MD, VA Field Coordinator with United We Dream, where she organizes with students in local high schools, community colleges, and Universities to create immigrant-friendly spaces and bring systemic change that puts marginalized and vulnerable communities at the forefront of the fight.

Samuel M. Tuero

Student Speaker

Samuel M. Tuero is graduating cum laude from Rutgers University-Camden with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and part of Pi Sigma Alpha honor society. Throughout his time as an undergraduate, he has served on the executive boards for the Student Government Association, Political Science Society, the Gleaner as well as founded the Define American Chapter on his campus. He has been committed to engaging with the campus community on the topic of citizenship and immigration. Likewise, he is committed to creating resources for undocumented students on campus. As an ally, he hopes to learn how to better advocate and uplift the immigrant community.

Greisa Martinez Rosas

Speaker and Deputy Executive Director, United We Dream

Greisa Martinez Rosas is the Deputy Executive Director of United We Dream—the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country with more than 400,000 members. In this role, Greisa is a UWD strategist and also implements UWD’s vision as the organization continues to build power throughout the country.

In 2006, Greisa began organizing to help young Latinos register to vote in her hometown of Dallas, TX, and has since become a fearless defender of her undocumented community and a staunch advocate for the rights of women.

Originally from Hidalgo, Mexico, Greisa migrated to the U.S. with her parents at a young age and grew up in Texas. While studying Biology at Texas A&M University, she co-founded the first undocumented youth-led organization in the conservative university’s more than 100 year history.

Greisa is a leading voice in the progressive movement, and has been featured in CNN, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BBC, Telemundo, and Univision, among others.

Greisa is the living embodiment of the United We Dream spirit — transforming personal adversity into hope and personal power that has inspired thousands of others into action.

Karely Avila Ledesma

Speaker and Program Coordinator, Golden Door Scholars

Karely Avila Ledesma graduated magna cum laude from Queens University of Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a minor in International Studies and was the first in her family to obtain a degree. Karely is a first-generation immigrant from Mexico and came to the United States when she was 2 years-old. She is one of the 700,000 individuals in the U.S. who are DACAmented and is working hard every day to make the best out of the challenges and uncertainties that come with it.

The adversities that follow having DACA nearly kept her from pursuing her dreams of higher education but thanks to the generosity of the Golden Door Scholarship, she was able not only to reach her dreams but surpass them. Inspired by the impact the Golden Door Scholarship had within her own life, Karely dedicates her career to helping underserved and underrepresented communities feel heard and achieve success. She now works on the Golden Door Scholar team as a Program Coordinator and is carrying out her life passion every single day.

Jose Antonio Vargas

Speaker and Founder, Define American

Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and Tony-nominated producer. A leading voice for the human rights of immigrants, he founded the non-profit media and culture organization Define American, named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. His best-selling memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, was published by HarperCollins in 2018. Most recently, he co-produced Heidi Schreck’s acclaimed Broadway play What the Constitution Means to Me, which was nominated for two 2019 Tony awards, including “Best Play.” Read more.