Rooted in Resilience: Lander Gonzalez's Youth Leadership in Alief

At Rice University on September 12, 1962, the late President John F. Kennedy proclaimed that "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." One student leader's ambition encapsulates this philosophy. Indeed, youth leadership is a force to be reckoned with. A starstruck youth leader who presents himself as an uncompromising, prestigious firepower is Lander Gonzalez, a junior at Alief ISD's Alief Early College High School. We first heard of Lander's work when he applied to our AliefVotes fellowship program. Upon his application, it was clear that we had identified a prophetic, unwavering voice for youth—especially in the realms of environmental justice, robust tree-planting organizing, and public speaking.

Lander has led standout and crucial events here in Southwest Houston. This year, he became incredibly involved with the Alief Super Neighborhood Council, particularly under the mentorship of Dr. Alan Steinberg. Inspired by Chair Emerita and longtime community leader Ms. Barbara Quattro, Lander began his environmental work as a volunteer in the numerous monthly tree plantings. "My love of biology, the systematic nature of organisms, and my ambition to protect the environment and habitats around me led me to organize in Alief," said Lander. As time passed, he began to increase his impact through additional hours of volunteer work and by proposing his own community engagement efforts, leveraging his passion for soccer.

In this era where many feel paralyzed in civics, Lander, instead, was propelled. Through engrossed enthusiasm, veneration, and valor, Lander began his leadership at AliefVotes by organizing two pocket prairie green infrastructure projects at the Alief Community Garden and Brays Village East Homeowners Association. By leading neighborhood planting sessions and organizing disaster preparedness protocol roundtables, Lander honed his civic engagement skills through profound public speaking and compassionate listening.

One of Lander's signature events that led to his leadership development was his first community clean-up near Kerr High School. Armed with heavy-duty trash bags and an empowered network of peers and colleagues—notably, intergenerationally—Lander picked up hundreds of pounds of illegal dumping while at the same time, inspiring his peers at Alief Early College High School to get involved. "Everyone's lives matter and should be taken into consideration. We must be separated into otherization, but rather as one," said Lander.

However, his leadership truly extends beyond civic engagement and environmental stewardship. Recently, he has been deeply engaged in community roundtables, where he facilitates discussions to ensure that diverse community members can participate in conversations of power while contributing to the discourse in a prepared manner. In the wake of Hurricane Beryl and the straight-line Derecho, it was clear that his leadership at the Alief Neighborhood Center and beyond, in all community associations and green infrastructure initiatives, was effective. "Disaster preparedness is important, especially for spontaneous events without warning, as these are circumstances where the most vulnerable suffer and are caught off guard."

In the future, Lander hopes to pursue a career in chemical or biochemical engineering, utilizing science and civic leadership to address complex real-world problems while also serving as a standout role model to underrepresented individuals. His goal? To demonstrate that minority leaders from Alief, too, can succeed. The late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm once proclaimed that if you don't have a seat at a table, bring a folding chair. Mr. Gonzalez brought a damn throne.