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ABOUT ME

MY STORY

Since 2020, Alejandra’s unwavering commitment and active passion for education, politics, and Latinidad has grown through vast internships and personal projects. Alejandra continues to work for her Latino community back home, most recently as a teacher for a Summer Program.



The Migrant Spirit

"At our annual kickoff with all Northwest Regional ESD staff, we enlisted Alejandra, a student in the Migrant Education Program (MEP) to welcome educators. A special thanks to MEP team members Rosa Gilbert and Amanda Casian for making the telling of Alejandra’s story possible. This story represents the culmination of five years of developing a supportive, reciprocal relationship with her family. Alejandra and her family volunteered to tell a very personal story to hundreds of strangers in large part to the trust they have in Rosa and Amanda to carry their message forward with integrity." - Northwest Regional Education Service District

Gallery of Passions and Projects

Latinx Cultural History “Latina Beauty Queens” Zine

The negative perception surrounding women who wear sashes, and crowns, and are a part of beauty pageants is stigmatized and spoken of with misogynistic undertones. Their intelligence, social, and political power are diminished and women are wrongly condemned to ‘bimbofication’. This is undeniably true for Latina women who are confronted with ideas of Americanization, often needing to pioneer themselves to change beauty standards. Their existence and success in the beauty pageant system have led Latina women to a place of power and the ability to gain upward mobility. I believe that Latina's expression of agency in pageants is a way to show cultural belonging in a Eurocentric nation and provide a different version of what an American is. From presidential candidacy to social activism, former pageant winners have gone on to change the fabric of civil liberties. Though their existence is disregarded, women in these positions have the potential to be incredibly influential. Latinas change the Eurocentric beauty standards in pageants which have been historically exclusionary for women of color. Latinas continue to struggle to compete in pageants and face racial remarks as they contradict white American ideals, but they continue to show up with resilience. Women in these positions are often disregarded, but the power and title they hold carry an immense amount of influence in political, social, and cultural spheres. Women's intelligence and social influence are degraded through the way they are portrayed in beauty pageants and their intelligence and humanity are simmered down to mere looks. Women have been vilified by the patriarchal society we live in and my goal is to destigmatize women in pageants, not the pageants themselves with the support of digital collections, news articles, and academic journal articles.

Alejandra Lopez Nestor Beauty Queens by Alejandra Lopez Nestor

Publication Highlights

  • Warrenton Student Selected for Prestigious Program

  • Our View: Give Oregon Students a Voice in Shaping State Policies

Get to know me!

  • Warrenton High School Multicultural Club

    Created honor student representation. and recruiting over 10% of the student body was a huge success. Fundraising over $3,500 in 3 months, the creation of a scholarship was possible. The Multicultural Fair featured 10+ activities and educational booths about different cultures, attracting over 150 attendees.

  • Astoria Regatta

    In 2022, I was honored to be selected as a princess for the Astoria Regatta Court. I absolutely loved my experience; not only did I receive a scholarship to further my education, but I also had the opportunity to practice my public speaking skills and ride on a parade floats.

  • Communicare

    Warrenton High School, I was glad to help fundraise over $16,000 to support local organizations that focus on bettering major issues caused by addiction within our county such as foster youth, homelessness, and food insecurity

Migrant Education Program

As a child, I always had the opportunity to attend the Migrant Education summer programs. I remember being surrounded by friends, working on exciting projects, and immersing myself in a community of Latinos. Last year, I had the incredible experience of interning with the Migrant Education Program, assisting the binational teacher, supporting K-2 students in learning about currency, and facilitating STEAM kits.