For Holy Cross College sophomore Oscar Quijada ’28, standing at the podium during Noche With La Casa on September 17 felt like coming full circle. The annual fundraising dinner celebrates La Casa de Amistad, a South Bend youth and community center that has empowered Latino, Hispanic, and immigrant families since 1973 through education, social services, legal support, and advocacy.
He was asked to share his story—a story rooted in the very programs that helped him find his footing and his voice.
“I never thought that I’d be in a position like that,” Quijada said. “But I knew that I owed it to myself and other students like me to find power in my words and share my story.”
Quijada was asked to speak by the organization’s CEO, Juan Constantino, who also graduated from Holy Cross in 2016. Many of the board members at La Casa had been impressed with Quijada’s involvement growth through the years thanks to the program.
Quijada first came to La Casa as a fourth grader, joining after-school and summer programs that offered academic support and cultural connection. When the pandemic interrupted in-person programs, he had already gained the confidence to succeed on his own. But by his senior year of high school, when he needed volunteer hours, he decided to return to the place that had shaped him.
“I had such a good experience as a student,” he said. “It felt right to go back and see familiar faces.”
That decision led to something more. Quijada began volunteering with middle school students, learning how to balance guidance and empathy. Before long, he was offered a summer internship helping lead youth programs exploring identity, culture, and social justice through Mexican cinema.
“It’s just such a unique experience,” he said. “Not a lot of people get to say that they gave back to a community that they were part of.”
Now a political science major at Holy Cross, Quijada says his time at La Casa continues to shape his sense of purpose as a first-generation college student. “I always remind myself it’s definitely a blessing to have this stress,” he said. “I’m doing something that no one else in my family has ever done before.”
His parents, both immigrants, were in the audience that evening, moved to tears as they watched their son address a room full of community leaders. His mother, who runs a daycare out of their home, later joked that he now understands how hard it is to work with kids. But she also reminded him of something deeper—that in helping young people at La Casa, he is offering families the support his own once needed.
“They remind me that I’m giving the kind of support to other families that they once needed,” Quijada said. “That means everything to me.”
Between serving as a Moreau Scholar, classes, exams, and performing in the Notre Dame Marching Band, Quijada keeps his focus simple: “I just want to keep showing up, working hard, and doing what I can to give back.”
Quijada, located in the middle of the top row, is gathered with his fellow Holy Cross students who are members of the Notre Dame band.