MPH student Brenda Trejo made the most of her Washington, D.C., location and her persuasive letter writing skills to earn an invitation to the White House’s 2016 Cinco de Mayo party, the celebration of a battle won 154 years ago by Mexican patriots against opposing French forces.
In a letter written to President Obama months about a week earlier, Trejo expressed her gratitude for the sacrifices her grandfather and parents made when they emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. Their sacrifices gave Trejo the opportunity to graduate from high school and earn the Gates Millennium Scholarship that has aided in her achievement of two bachelor degrees and her current pursuit of a master of public health in global environmental health. Trejo’s appreciation of family, and of the Cinco de Mayo party’s band Maná, gained her a coveted spot at the festivities where she quite literally rubbed shoulders (when taking selfies) with Vice President Joe Biden, actor Jaime Camil of television’s Jane the Virgin, 6 year-old immigrant justice activist Sophie Cruz, and the band Maná, who dedicated one of their songs as a call to address climate change. Additionally, the White House’s Tumblr page posted Trejo’s heartfelt letter to President Obama.