Story #37: America Ferrera
“JEP sparked a flame in me and the flame is still burning”
Those are the words of famous actress and USC alumna America Ferrera at our 40th anniversary gala 10 years ago. In her speech, she said that every youth deserves the opportunity to reach their potential. She joined JEP in an effort to make this a reality for the students JEP serves.
Her first introduction to JEP was for an extra-credit assignment for one of her classes. However, what she didn’t know was that her extra-credit project would soon turn into a years-long partnership with JEP across various programs.
“I never imagined I would also be getting some of the most memorable and formidable experiences in my time at USC. Perhaps that was [my professor’s] master plan all along.” she said.
One of her assignments during time at JEP was through a former program called the Peace Games. She fondly remembers teaching students at Norwood Street Elementary School about social-emotional and conflict-resolution skills. Later on, she would become their national spokesperson.
Ferrera’s work with JEP and the Peace Project inspired her to participate in USC Dornsife’s Teaching International Relations Program (TIRP). Her participation in this program continued her outreach to local students that she began at JEP.
“I remember on my last day teaching TIRP, I made certificates for my ninth graders saying, ‘You did it! You completed TIRP!’ And a young woman came up to me with tears in her eyes and showed me the certificate I had made at Kinkos a few hours earlier. And she said, ‘This is the first thing I’ve ever won.” she added.
“That is the real meaning behind JEP,” Ferrera said.
One of Ferrera’s favorite things about JEP is that it gives the community outside of USC an opportunity to be seen. While it can be easy to ignore what’s outside of USC’s borders, JEP forces students to see the social and economic barriers faced by our neighbors. By recognizing and learning about these challenges, together, we can enact concrete actions to address these inequalities.
“To look at them squarely and to see at the heart of them, they are people, people with talent, skills and dreams who deserve the opportunity to fulfill their potential and contribute greatly to the world. My experience showed me that talent is universal. But opportunity is not. And the duty belongs to all of us here tonight to help bridge that gap.” she said.
Despite leaving USC over a decade ago, Ferrera’s spirit of service lives on through her humanitarian work. She has worked with Save the Children, which promotes education for children in need. In 2011, she received the Global Action Award for Childhood Development and Education.
Through her work at JEP, charitable organizations, and beyond, it is clear that the flame in American Ferrera is still burning, 10 years later.