Ernesto has three years of experience in the nonprofit sector and earned a Bachelor´s Degree of Law from the Jose Simeon Canas school of The University of Central America in 2011. After graduation, he volunteered with El Salvador’s first LGBT legal clinic which inspired him to pursue a career on Human Rights activism. In 2012, Ernesto volunteered and partnered with several LGBTI organizations from the Salvadoran civil society, and became a founding member of the AMATE initiative: a project to recover and preserve the historical memory of the LGBT movement in El Salvador. As coordinator for the Global School program of Foundation Cristosal, a faith based human rights organization, Ernesto developed field courses to better understand development from a human rights approach. Through these experiences, Ernesto gained a working knowledge of social justice, grassroots organizations, learning through popular education, and human rights and equality advocacy. He also has experience facilitating dialogue and intercultural exchange between Salvadoran and North American communities. In the future, Ernesto wants to pursue a career in human rights advocacy and law.
Host Organization: Human Rights Campaign
Role at Host Organization: Ernesto will serve at the Human Rights Campaign on the “A la Familia Program” a bilingual project that promotes inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people within communidades Latinas. He will also provide support on a research project on the export of Homophobia from religious groups from within the U.S.