Editor’s note: “Where Are They Now” is a Muscatine Journal series written by former Muscatine Journal editor Gil Dietz, who welcomes comments and suggestions. You can contact him at 563-263-5499 or  gvdietz@machlink.

FARGO, N.D. — It’s hard to pin a label on former Muscatine resident Cindy (Gomez) Shawcross.

She is a tireless worker for social justice, a human rights activist, a leader in Latino affairs, a spokesman for minorities, an interpreter/translator, a former paralegal with years of experience, co-chairman of an organization working with people in poverty, a newspaper columnist, an Internet blogger, a juvenile case worker, and the claims assistance coordinator for the North Dakota injured workers compensation support group.

She is also a wife, mother, and a nutritionist.

Cindy, 38, attended Hayes Elementary School, and graduated from Muscatine High School in 1989. Her parents are divorced and married to others. Her mother, Ventura Loya, lives in Newton. Her father, Octavio Gomez, and stepmother, Marina Gomez, live in Muscatine with their two children.

She has two brothers living in Fargo: Octavio Gomez Jr., 34 and Raul Gomez, 33. Her youngest brother, Jesse Joe Gomez, 26, lives in Muscatine and works for Monsanto.

Cindy graduated in the top 10 percent of her class at MHS, and took several advancement placement courses.

“I did attend one semester of my senior year in Mexico at a private American accredited school called Collegio Americano in Mexico City. My parents always viewed it as a priority for me to maintain a firm grasp on my Spanish and keep in touch with my family and culture in Mexico,” she said.

After MHS, Cindy attended the University of Iowa for three years, “but life, marriage and children kept me from continuing and completing my education there,” she said.

“I took one semester at MCC to try to save money on my general education requirements, and then transferred all my credits to Kirkwood Community College where I completed an associate’s degree in paralegal studies.”

Cindy worked as a paralegal for a law firm in Coralville, and another firm in Cedar Rapids, before moving to Fargo and working seven years at the Schneider Law Firm.That job ended when her boss retired.

She now works for The University of Minnesota Clay County Extension as a nutrition education assistant, teaching nutrition education, cooking, money management, meal planning and food safety.

“I have been happily married to Russell Lee Shawcross for six years,” she said. He is originally from upstate New York, and works for the city of Fargo as a homeless advocate for the Gladys Ray Homeless Shelter. Cindy has two daughters: Sara Michelle, 16, and Elizabeth Danae, 11.

Cindy has written a number of articles for the High Plains Reader newspaper, which her brother, Raul, co-owns, about her experiences as a claims coordinator on Workforce State and Insurance issues, one of which spoke passionately on behalf of people denied health care.

Referring to her involvement as co-chair of the People Escaping Poverty Project, Cindy said one of the main concerns was racial profiling and discriminatory treatment by the police in the area. “I had the opportunity to experience first hand the way in which People Escaping Poverty Project was able to bring together community leaders and a diverse group of non-profits around the issue.

“As a Mexican-American woman from a family active in serving the community, I have always had a passion for community organizing and changing systems to improve lives. However, for the first time, I learned that movements and change are not born out of thin air, or from deep passion or good intentions. There is a great deal of work, training and expertise involved.

“Working on Social Security and insurance claims made me keenly aware of the inadequacies of our insurance and entitlement programs for those in need. Then I got thyroid cancer and faced the issue of having to cover myself on COBRA to the tune of about $600 a month for nearly a year.

“This not only depleted by savings, but also my retirement funds. I began to speak out locally and was approached by Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine. They carried my story in the November 2008 issue of Consumer Reports. Subsequently, they sent me to New York to an Activist Summit to train and support my grassroots efforts.

“Consumers Union sent me to Washington this summer to lobby for healthcare reform, and I met with top staffers for Sens. Byron Dorgan (D) and Kent Conrad (D) and Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D). I have also had the pleasure of meeting with staffers for Sen. Conrad here in Fargo, and meeting with Sen. Dorgan personally.”

Cindy’s activism surfaced at an early age. “I was involved in a pilot project called Peer Helpers, which I believe is still going on at the high school. This program helped advocate for student issues as well as help students grieving or in danger of suicide or domestic violence. Sue Theilman, a school counselor, asked me to join the project after she saw my dedication to student issues such as Anglo students not wanting to sit with Latino students on the school buses.”

Cindy was also threatened with suspension for speaking Spanish to a cousin between classes.

“I organized the students to protest the No Spanish rule. This lead to a Latino liaison being hired to help deal with the race issues facing MHS at the time. I believe it was a step to improve the experience for Latino students in the school and to help combat the woefully low rates of graduation for Latino’s at the high school at the time.”

In addition to all of her other activities, she writes an Internet blog titled “Cindycated Shawcross.” It is found at http://cindyshawcross.tmblr.com/, or go to Google and enter “Cindycated Shawcross.”