Sebastian Stik Duarte

Sebastian Stik Duarte is a Research and Policy Fellow at LULAC's National Office in Washington, D.C., during the summer of 2026. Having grown up in Houston, Texas, he is completing his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University, where he studies Public Service and Administration with a minor in Artificial Intelligence in Business.

As a first-generation college student, Sebastian is motivated by his family's sacrifices and a deep appreciation for his Colombian heritage. His academic and leadership achievements have earned him recognition as a First Generation Regents Scholar, a 2026 Dr. Juan Andrade Jr. Scholarship recipient, a Buck Weirus Spirit Award recipient, and a HACU Kia America Accelerate the Good Scholarship recipient.

At Texas A&M, Sebastian serves on the Student Affairs Fee Advisory Board, where he advocates on behalf of more than 80,000 students to promote affordability and responsible stewardship of student fees. He also serves on the Undergraduate Academic Appeals University Committee, reviewing grade and suspension appeals to help ensure fair and equitable outcomes for students.

As a Lead Ambassador for the SUMA Wealth app, Sebastian helped establish a partnership among Wells Fargo, the Texas A&M Hispanic Network, and SUMA Wealth to bring financial literacy and technology programming to campus. Through this collaboration, he helped organize "Make It, Make Cents," a workshop that introduced more than 900 students to investing, machine learning, and emerging technologies.

Most recently, Sebastian was selected as a Fellow in the Break Through Tech AI Program at Cornell Tech, where he will participate in a year-long applied artificial intelligence research project focused on real-world problem solving and public service applications.

Through his work in public policy, technology, and community engagement, Sebastian hopes to expand educational and economic opportunities for Latino and underserved communities while advancing the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the public sector.