SIREN Member Spotlight: March 2019
/
Grégoire grew up in France, and earned a master’s degree in Engineering which led him to move to Mexico to start a career in the automotive industry. After learning about people’s stories of migration, he was motivated to start a new career with nonprofits in France and Ecuador. He led projects that led to access to education, paralegal counseling and cultural activities. After many years of working with undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees in France, he focused on projects that brought people toward autonomy and emancipation. One of the strongest lessons Grégoire learned was that volunteering can create long-lasting and meaningful relationships, but also can empower both immigrants and local citizens.
Grégoire and his wife came to the Bay Area in 2016, where he discovered SIREN. Necessity and curiosity led him to SIREN when he was seeking immigration legal advice. He immediately felt that refreshing and joyful energy, where every visitor is treated as an equal and potential valuable addition to the organization. “I felt the warm invitation to participate in trainings and rallies. I also volunteered for SIREN’s 30th anniversary gala.” After a few months, Grégoire signed up to become a SIREN member in order to formally support the organization and its campaigns as a way to stay connected.
“I am very thankful to be a member of SIREN. I feel connected to the struggles and exciting empowering dynamics within the immigrant community in the South Bay. I have become part of a bigger fight, a necessary fight all over the country. This fight is for justice and the recognition of the immense value of a society that is diverse and needs to continue to be diverse.”
