Forging New Connections
Octavio De Leon ‘23 details his experience attending the visit of Kenneth Lee Salazar to the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMéx) during his time as a Fulbright Scholar in Toluca.
By Júlia von Gersdorff '25
2023-24 Canterbury Scholar Octavio De Leon ’23, recently shared some exciting news with us. Throughout his time in Mexico as an English Teaching Assistant through the esteemed U.S. State Department’s Fulbright Program, Octavio has been in contact with Dr. Simone Billings, his former advisor here in the English Department, sharing stories and photos of his adventures. Most notably, he was recently invited to receive the US Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, upon his arrival at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, or UAEMéx, located in Toluca. Octavio teaches English to students at this university in the faculty of Tourism and Gastronomy.
Of his experiences, Octavio details the following:
"Last Tuesday, I was invited to receive the Ambassador on his visit to Toluca (the capital city of the State of Mexico). Mr. Salazar was meeting with administrators of my university to establish connections and hear about the student exchange, binational business, and other educational programs between the US and UAEMéx (my university). As a Fulbright Scholar, I was lucky enough to be invited and was able to chat with Mr.Salazar about my experience in Mexico (which has been wonderful) and my thoughts on the Fulbright Program as a whole–it was so exciting to be a part of those conversations."
More photos of the event, featuring Octavio and some of the other attendees, can be found on Salazar’s X page.
He goes on to explain how his time as a student in the SCU English Department prepared him and inspired him for moments like this, saying:
"I've certainly been thinking about my time studying with the English Department and feeling grateful for all of the professors and opportunities that have helped me to get here: working students at the HUB, my Canterbury project, a fulfilling senior seminar course, etc. I am sending best wishes to everyone back in Santa Clara."
Octavio’s work and outreach throughout his time as a Fulbright scholar in Mexico has no doubt garnered him connections and respectability amongst the UAEMéx community. He has since shared with us his plans following his time as a Fulbright scholar:
"I'll be heading to New York where I'll be working in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office as a paralegal, assisting attorneys with cases in the special victims division, mainly defending children in public cases. I'm certainly looking forward to having such a direct impact working on these challenging child defense lawsuits. Not to mention, the NYC District Attorney is currently prosecuting Trump––so there are some really exciting cases to be worked on and talented attorneys to meet."
The English Department is proud to showcase Octavio’s accomplishments as a revered alum of our program, and we are cheering him on toward more greatness for his paralegal position in New York and beyond.