Three Latinos on First Lady’s State of the Union Guest List

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

Tonight, as President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union speech, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, will be there as First Lady’s always are.

Sitting next to her will be a handful of hand-picked invited guests. These are coveted seats, perched in the gallery in the House of Representatives Chamber on Capitol Hill.

They’re meaningful seats as well. Each person is chosen specifically to highlight not only their individual accomplishment or life circumstance, but also to illustrate a specific point in the presidents presentation. You can expect that the President will mention several of the people in the First Lady’s box, and that there will be an orchestrated pause and required applause.

This year there will be 25 guests with Michelle Obama, and among them three Latinos.

Alan Aleman (Las Vegas, NV)

DREAM Student

Alan Aleman was born in Mexico City, Mexico.  In high school, Alan watched his friends come of age – driving around town with their new licenses and earning some extra cash from their summer jobs at the mall.  Although Alan knew he could not do those things because of his immigration status, he was determined to get a good education.  Last year, when Alan heard the news that the Obama Administration was going to provide Deferred Action for undocumented youth like him to emerge from the shadows, he was one of the first to sign up.  Alan was among the first people in Nevada to get approved.  In that moment, Alan said, “I felt the fear vanish.  I felt accepted.”  Today, Alan is in his second year at the College of Southern Nevada.  He’s studying to become a doctor and he hopes to join the Air Force.  Alan is currently working at Hermandad Mexicana, where he is in charge of final review for DACA applications.

Sergeant Carlos Evans, USMC (Cameron, NC)

Wounded Warrior

Sergeant Evans, born in Puerto Rico, was on his fourth overseas deployment when he sustained injuries in Afghanistan that resulted in the loss of both of his legs and his left hand.  Recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center, Sergeant Evans met the First Lady and later visited the White House for a Wounded Warrior Tour.  At that time, the President signed his prosthetic arm.   He credits the support he has received from private organizations to the First Lady and Dr. Biden’s efforts in Joining Forces.  In 2012, he received a custom home from Operation Coming Home and now resides in North Carolina with his wife and two young daughters.

Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers (Avondale, AZ)

Marie Lopez Rogers served on the Avondale City Council for 14 years before being elected as the city’s first Latina Mayor in 2006.  Growing up in migrant farm labor camps and picking cotton alongside her parents in fields where her City Hall now stands, Mayor Rogers never imagined that she would be guiding the transformation of the region.  Mayor Rogers currently serves as Chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments.  In Dec. 2012, she was named president of the National League of Cities, an organization dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. She and her husband Ed have been married for 43 years and have three children and six grandchildren.