My name is Mame Diarra Niang, and I am a Senegalese immigrant who arrived in the country when I was 11 years old. I've worked with immigrant students who lacked proper documentation and received some assistance. During my internship for the DOE program of the CUNY Ambassador Program, I assisted undocumented immigrants with their TAP Application and scholarships. I am fluent in both Wolof and French. I'm very interested in creating resource guides. I graduated from the Borough of Manhattan Community College with an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Criminology and Africana Studies.
What piques my interest in becoming a Fostering Youth Success Alliance (FYSA) advocate is that I believe advocacy is in my blood. My job is to help and fight for the rights of people who are either unaware of what is going on in their country or lack proper documentation. I want to be able to provide in-person outreach, distribute flyers, and provide important information that may be useful to them.
Immigration is a policy issue that is important to me. The decisions made on Capitol Hill are among the most important issues that have piqued my interest. I enjoy maintaining track of the latest news, who our government officials are, and how hard they are working to improve the system, and those who are working against it. I care about maintaining track of the law and issues that are important to me because it helps keep people informed. Also, connect people who are currently in the process to supports. Some lawyers announce when is the best time to apply for legal status, as well as when things slow down.
I want to be remembered as a person who fought for individual freedom for the benefit of all human beings, and as someone who has dedicated her entire life to finding solutions to best support immigrants and young children in the foster care system. I want to help those who do not have families, to be there for them, and to offer them assistance that they may not have received otherwise.