JOURNALISM STUDENT IS A VOICE FOR MILITARY DEPENDENTS AND HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

Photo Courtesy of Ernesto Rivera

By Andrew Penalosa

Rachel Perez is a student of the past so that she can be a bridge to the future.

A Jewish, Latina child of the U.S. military, Perez studies the horrors of the 20th century in hopes of pushing the 21st in a better direction. Her ancestors were Holocaust victims and survivors, her beloved father lost to residual complications from the Vietnam War.

Job One, she said, is to help members of her generation to learn about—and learn from—the violence and prejudice of the 1900s.

“It is alarming to me that research and polling indicates that barely half of America’s young people under 30 know much about the Holocaust,” she said. “It is important that the next generation know about the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity so that they are not repeated.”

Perez said her classmates may not realize their importance in the transmission of history.

“The current generation of 18-30 year olds is the last that will have the opportunity to meet and hear from Holocaust survivors, Pearl Harbor survivors, Navajo Code Talkers, Tuskegee Airmen and Buffalo Soldiers,” she said. “My generation needs to engage these people while they are still among us so we can hear their stories and pass them along.”

A journalism major, Perez is active in passing along the stories and heroism of the Greatest Generation. She was the humble behind-the-scenes marketing force for the Chula Vista Library’s Holocaust exhibit “RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust,” based on the life of Southwestern College honorary degree recipient Ruth Goldsmiedova Sax. She generated tremendous print and broadcast publicity for the grand opening of the event, and has continued her efforts to market the exhibition for its 12-month residency at the library. Virtually every major regional newspaper and television news outlet covered the January opening. News media from Los Angeles and Mexico City were also there.

Growing up Perez said she idolized former Israel Prime Minister Golda Meir, the iconic leader who was born in Russia and raised as an American in Milwaukee. Meir raised $50 million in 1943 to support Israel’s war for independence and in 1956 was elected prime minister. She was recently honored by Time magazine as one of the greatest women leaders of the past 100 years.

Meir taught Perez that young Jewish women could be visionary leaders, she said. Perez formed the Southwestern College club Jewish Students and Friends to encourage classmates to learn more about the rich and ancient Jewish culture of learning and service.

There is a soft place in her heart for Vietnam veterans, military personnel and dependents, Perez said. Her father, a Vietnam War veteran, died from the aftereffects of wartime injuries when she was 5 years old. She has devoted her life ever since to helping other children who have suffered a death in the family. She is the National Youth Coordinator for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and reaches out to young people who have lost a parent in combat, war injuries or training accidents.

“Losing a parent in battle or to a military accident is traumatic,” she said. “I try to use my hard-earned experience to help other young people through the trauma and sadness.”

While volunteering with the SWC Veterans Resource Center Perez met someone who changed the trajectory of her life. Ernesto Rivera, the college’s Marketing Communications Associate and former Southwestern College Sun editor, was immediately impressed.

“When I met her at that moment I already knew that she was pretty cool and interesting because here she was here to present a check to the Veterans Resource Center,” he said. “She had that something special.”

Rivera made it a priority to meet Perez, he said, and was intrigued that she was interested in public relations, marketing and communications. He helped her to land an internship with the Office of Communications and put her to work on the SWC News Center website in fall 2018.

Her first story, “FAFSA Fridays Return,” was a learning experience, she said.

“I wrote that on my second day here and I remember being really confused because being new to the office I did not really know how to do news writing,” she said.

Rivera became her mentor and Perez blossomed. She began to attract other fans, including people in the Disabled Student Services office where she is a student worker. DSS Technician Esther Sakhi said Perez is a natural who is empathetic, smart and kind.

“Rachel has the ability to handle (difficult situations) because of her tone and that helps to de-escalate problems,” she said. “People find her so great at what she does.”

Perez was a finalist for the 2020 Student of Distinction Award, nominated by both Rivera and her journalism professor. She plans to transfer to SDSU to double major in journalism and anthropology, then earn a Master’s in communications. She sees herself in a career with a non-profit service agency or a military advocacy group.

“I know this sounds corny, but I want to use whatever talents and abilities I have to help others,” she said. “I think we need to use our gifts well and advocate for people who do not have a voice or who lack any power to lift themselves up. Maybe we help in a large way, maybe we help in a small way, but even if it’s only one other person you help, that’s what I believe you should do.”