Alumni Insights

My name is Bryan Santos, and I am a rising sophomore at UCLA. I am currently majoring in political science with a concentration in American Politics and have aspirations of working for the government on a local and state level. I was born and raised here in Los Angeles and firmly believe it is the best city in the world. Living here my whole life, I have first-hand experience living the different aspects that we must improve upon as a city. Whether it is the lack of resources within low-income communities, the corrupt criminal justice system, education reform, or homelessness, we can and must serve our people better. My purpose is to fight for those who can't fight for themselves and create policies that will make the world a better place for the next generation.

My journey as a politician won’t be easy, especially now when politics has become so polarized. Politics has become a game of labels where you’re either a liberal or a conservative, and civil discourse has slowly faded away. There is no bipartisanship, even if it means helping the American people. Despite all that, the message of OLASTEO gives me hope. I am one of the first two students who were able to travel to Poland in 2016 on the inaugural OLASTEO experience and listen to the message of Eva Mozes Kor first hand. Her message of forgiveness is powerful and lives on within me. She taught me that getting even has never healed a single person, and forgiveness is a seed for peace. OLASTEO continually exposes me to new ideas and reminds me why it is important to take a step back and put ourselves in each other's shoes.

I was recently able to partake in the 2020 OLASTEO Virtual Summer Experience as an Alumni, interacting with and listening to influential speakers and educators, focused on embracing differences. Stepping back, taking the time to see why we have such perspectives, embracing those differences, and compromising is a major part of politics that is missing today. It is a lesson that I will hold close to as I embark on my journey as a politician. We need to restore the bipartisanship and remember that the government works for the people. OLASTEO grounds me and has taught me that regardless of our differences, at the end of the day we are all human.