Kristen Cervenak

As an Alumni Contributor, Kristen Cervenak lends her skills as Writing Wrongs 2017’s Social Media Manager. She is in her final semester at Northampton Community College, where she majors in Journalism.

For the past two years, Kristen served as the Editor-in-Chief of NCC’s award-winning student newspaper, The Commuter, and is also a member of the Outdoors Club. She’s also involved with Sprout Initiative, a nonprofit that creates opportunities for college students and homeless youth to cultivate purpose through organic gardening. Oh, and she plays the ukulele in her spare time.

She plans to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at Lehigh University.

Although Kristen has always loved writing, she’s found a new love: editing. Her long-term goals include become a news and book editor as well as a published author.

She describes herself as the type of person “who reads books in flower gardens and never puts their hood up when it rains.”

Staff Question: Explain why you believe that immigration is an important issue in our communities that needs to be confronted by our elected officials. 

I believe it’s necessary for elected officials to build bridges and remind the general population that it won’t collapse if you step on it. There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re all going to be OK.

“As a Canadian immigrant, I’ve been told more times than I can count on both hands that my opinion on immigration doesn’t matter because this isn’t ‘my’ country. Although I’ve spent most of my life in the United States, my voice is often dismissed because I am not a citizen. I hear stories from my friends who are also immigrants and they receive a similar conversation. Sadly, often times, it is a much harsher conversation depending on the area of the world they are from. When the topic of injustice against those seeking a different life are swept under the rug by elected officials, it’s easy to feel ignored by society or isolated.

“If someone comes from another country, it shouldn’t automatically make them a threat. We are all humans seeking happiness and the best life possible. Without compassion and acceptance for others, we see hate and mistrust. Cultural diversity is a beautiful thing. You can learn so much about another and parts of this world you may never see, reflected in their eyes.”