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Alejandra Cabezas -- the bodyguard for granted rights

"Bodyguard" is not only a famous title of a movie with Whitney Houston but is also a key word in describing Alejandra Cabezas' childhood, a 21-year-old junior majoring in broadcast with a minor in political science at UW-Eau Claire. Her personal history did not start in Wisconsin but her roots are in Managua, the capital city of  Nicaragua.

Looking back to her early childhood, she remembers being protected by bodyguards when the United States was involved in a war against Nicaragua. Being the daughter of the high-ranking official Omar Cabezas in her home country, Alejandra got increasingly interested in political affairs. Her mother Marta Yllescas found her challenge in the non-governmental organization NGO in Nicaragua  which is considered a helping institution for poor women.

Although Cabezas is only 21, she has already learned many helpful lessons. One of the most important is that knowledge is a valuable tool to change narrow minded people. "A lot of people think they do not need to know anything. I want to encourage them to do better," she added.

With her aspiration to fight for better economic and social structures in Nicaragua, she knows there is still a long way to go to realize her plans. For the nearest future, the ambitious student hopes to work her way up to print journalism. "The media has so much power and my aim is to educate people," she said. Above all she wants to urge Americans  to gain a broader perspective of the world by reporting on social injustices outside the borders.

When you are in a foreign country you even unconsciously compare the living conditions to those back home, which also Cabezas experienced. "What I like about Eau Claire or about the States in general is the fact that everything is so cultivated and organized." As an example she referred to the well-organized airports with self-explanatory signs or the highways in respectively good conditions compared to where she comes from. As she explained, there are not only differences concerning the infrastructure. In her view, people in Nicaragua are generally more touchy and outgoing and in her culture it is more common to dance whereas Americans have a different way of celebration. Also the States appears to her as a country full of choices. "I like the college here having the possibility to choose your classes and also the professors."

 Her big goal in life is to help her home country by being a "bodyguard" for granted rights or at least to provide support for her home community. For her, one way to do so is by reporting on important issues and to open people’s eyes about the injustice around the world. "Nicaragua is a poor country and I feel obligated to do something that would improve their social and economic situation," Cabezas said.