On the evening of March 8, Lake Forest Academy’s Breaking Barriers Club hosted its first gala. Breaking Barriers strives to allow immigrants easier access to healthcare. The Club’s leaders include Xitlali Ocote-Arellano ‘25, Ysola Sanchez ‘25, Helena Secrest ‘26, Suha Ibrahim ‘26, Anaya MacLennan ‘27 and Elizabeth Villagomez ‘27. These leaders have put in an incredible amount of time and effort to plan this year’s gala. Those invited included students, parents, faculty, alumni and healthcare professionals.
The money raised at the gala went to the Save the Children initiative, gathering donations for children at the southern border. This initiative gave family therapy resources and supplies to the children in need. The gala showcased live auction items, including various passes, a signed Bears football, Ravinia tickets, coffee beans, a ceramic piece and a wine basket. These auction items were sold for much more than their starting price and raised a lot of money for the cause. The event was catered and included appetizers along with student performances from The Corn Nuts, Saige Chaseley ‘25, Soyeun Ju ‘25 and Jasiek Bugaj ‘26.
Ocote-Arellano ran the gala. When picking the initiative to raise money in the initial steps of planning, Ocote-Arellano said, “I’ve always been passionate about advocating for immigrants’ rights, especially in healthcare, and Save the Children’s work at the Southern Border aligns with that mission.” She added that after hearing the stories of children who had been separated from their families and left without proper care, she realized something needed to be done; she felt that the gala was a way to take real action that was beyond raising awareness. Ocote-Arellano emphasized how planning the event started months in advance because it was the first-ever Breaking Barriers Gala, and there was a lot of groundwork to lay out. To prepare for the event, Ocote-Arellano “reached out to local healthcare leaders and human rights organizations, coordinated entertainment and made sure there were auction items that would attract bids,” she said. She wanted the event to be meaningful and engaging, which is why student performances, a short documentary and a booth for handwritten notes were incorporated.
When talking more about the fund, Ocote-Arellano said, “All funds raised went toward providing therapy and basic living essentials to families and children at the Southern Border. Whether being detained, separated from families, or simply enduring harsh migration conditions, these children have endured traumatic experiences.” These children were already facing mental health challenges, but in some of these centers, they were being punished physically. Some centers had children sleeping on concrete floors and did not provide clothing for them. This meant that some children were spending weeks in the same clothing they came dressed in. These detention centers were very overcrowded and soon became a breeding ground for disease and a decline in mental health. “This is why we picked the Save the Children Initiative, because it works to ensure they get the emotional and physical support they need to begin healing. Beyond immediate aid, they also advocate for long-term policy changes to protect immigrant children, which aligns with Breaking Barriers’ border mission of breaking systemic barriers to health equity regardless of citizenship status,” Ocote-Arellano said. For Ocote-Arellano, this gala was so much more than just a fundraiser, “It was a way to bring people together and highlight an issue that often gets overlooked. It shows that young people can drive real change.”
Faculty Advisor Angela Zhou expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the students who put this gala together. She was amazed by all the work they did and the hours they put in to make it happen. Zhou said, “The leaders were amazing, very independent and driven.” She emphasized that while there was a faculty advisor for Breaking Barriers, it was really the students who got the gala up and running. Zhou explained how this initiative and gala had an emotional connection to all the leaders, as they were all immigrants or children of immigrants. “The reason why I wanted to get involved … seeing students who are so passionate about advocacy and activism in the medical fields, specifically in immigrant families, made me want to support them in whatever way I could,” Zhou said.
The Gala raised around $4000 for the Save The Children Initiative. With Breaking Barriers raising money from a GoFundMe, a fundraiser and the gala, the club succeeded in its overall goal. The gala will return to LFA next year and is an annual.
