Synopsis: MIXTECO KID takes place in a community of Mixteco indigenous people from Oaxaca, Mexico and live in California’s Central Valley. This marginalized community mainly speaks their native Mixteco language and are treated by many as second-class citizens and live in obscurity. As an invisible group, few have opportunities to achieve success in the mainstream and pursue professional careers. They mainly work in the fields doing the lowest jobs that no one wants to do. They’re derisively called “Oaxaquitas” and even their fellow Mexican countrymen look at them as insignificant. They’re always picked on – especially the children. Bullying towards Mixtecos is so prevalent that the local school districts have created special programs.

Within this community, MIXTECO KID tells the story of a willful teenager named Pablo who dreams about becoming a soccer star and playing soccer for the University of Notre Dame. Pablo fights through the forces of colorism to play for an elite prep school.

However, along the way, Pablo turns away from his heritage and believes that success will make his own inner conflict go away. The hardest hurdle Pablo faces is accepting that he is worthy of this new success. Through trial and error, he learns that he needs to re-embrace his roots, celebrate them with others, and that his success will open the door for others and help heal a divided community.

Writer’s Bio: Miguel Orozco was born in East LA and moved to Utah when he was a teenager.  The culture shock of that uprooting led to his passion for writing about issues surrounding identity within communities of color. Early in his professional life, Miguel worked in Washington, DC as a U.S. Senate staffer. Later on, he co-founded Novelas Educativas, an educational film production company. In 2016, he founded ÁNIMO Theatre Company to produce plays to increase cultural awareness of communities of color. Miguel completed an MFA in creative writing and was selected for NALIP's Writers Lab for his coming-of-age, drama feature, MIXTECO KID. He was recently selected as a Finalist for the Humanitas New Voices Fellowship and a Quarterfinalist for the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowships. Miguel is focused on writing about identity and writing and producing stories of marginalized communities.