Jayred Velasquez

I was incredibly honored to be accepted as a volunteer for the Power of the Purse 2026 event. For me, the most impactful part of the experience was having the opportunity to network with so many strong, successful women and learning directly from their insights. While I worked to help ensure the event ran smoothly, being surrounded by such inspiring leaders gave me a deeper understanding of what it takes to uplift the Miami-Dade community. It was an awesome experience that has motivated me to continue growing as a leader and volunteering for causes that empower others.

Participating in the UM Law Mock Trial made me realize how difficult it is to reach a fair decision when information is constantly changing. As new evidence was presented, I found myself questioning my initial assumptions, which showed me how important it is to stay open-minded and aware of bias.
As a psychology major, I also enjoyed analyzing people throughout the trial—observing behavior, tone, and persuasion techniques. It made me see how closely psychology and law are connected. Experiencing this made me picture myself in that environment, especially since I’m interested in forensic psychology.
Overall, the mock trial helped me better understand both the complexity of the legal system and the importance of human perception in decision-making.

Today, we worked on the design challenge, and we drew and provided ideas on how to improve green spaces around campus. My team was in charge of the MLK Butterfly Garden. We drew our improved version of it, as well as annotated more ideas and gave details about how it would be improved. I had a great time working on a team, sharing our ideas, to finally coming to an agreement.

had an amazing experience at this college fair. Connecting with high school students who are about to begin their college journey was truly meaningful. I enjoyed listening to their questions, hearing about their goals, and sharing my own perspective as an Honors College student. Being able to tell them about the opportunities, support, and community the Honors College offers made me feel proud and grateful for my own experience. Overall, the fair reminded me how powerful it can be to guide and encourage others who are just starting this new chapter.

had an amazing experience at this college fair. Connecting with high school students who are about to begin their college journey was truly meaningful. I enjoyed listening to their questions, hearing about their goals, and sharing my own perspective as an Honors College student. Being able to tell them about the opportunities, support, and community the Honors College offers made me feel proud and grateful for my own experience. Overall, the fair reminded me how powerful it can be to guide and encourage others who are just starting this new chapter.

This day, my club, Psych Force, collaborated with the Zen Garden to create Hope Rocks, a meaningful event where we painted rocks with messages of hope for ourselves, and some even donated to a Hospital for children with Cancer. It was so relaxing and joyful to create beautiful messages to bring smiles, and it was also funny to give snow cones to my participants.

It was delightful and touching to have my own event, Art for the Soul, be part of the Changemaker week. In this event, we connected as we heard stories, poems that shared emotional experiences, we learned we are not alone, and we saw how we each deal with different struggles.

For this event, I had the opportunity to distribute boopacks and would see people smile, children laughing, as I also served cotton candy in my other shift. It was fulfilling to make an impact and give back to my community. I learned from peers, networked with the organization, and had an amazing time.

The feeling of helping and servicing was excellent. During this event, I was not stationary in one job, but took the time to help with anything I could. I enjoyed bringing smiles and happiness to families and children. I loved the energy and effort that Kristi House had, and the job that was done

It was amazing to be able to work on something new, having a role, and learning new skills was great. Creating an impact while learning from others was extraordinary. I had to sell tickets for a raffle for funds for the Light House.