I am so grateful for my advocate, Stephanie Brown; she was like the older sister I never had. As I write this, I am tearful because she helped me so much in high school. I struggled severely with my mental health and low self-confidence as a teen parent. I had given up on all my dreams until Stephanie believed in me; her undivided support helped me gain confidence once again. I graduated high school as a valedictorian from the San José Conservation Corps. I am the youngest and only alums to sit as a board member in their organization.
Since 2019, I have volunteered for organizations such as AmeriCorps, Youthbuild, Shine Inc., the YWCA, the LGBTQ Youth Center, and many more. In 2022, I helped co-found one of Santa Clara County’s first youth-led organizations, the Youth Liberation Movement. Our mission was to liberate other young people in the community affected by trauma and oppression cycles. We conducted focus groups and surveys with hundreds of young people for whom we paid for their experience and expertise. We also organized community events and provided helpful workshops, resources, food, and a place where youth could just have fun and enjoy being in the community with one another. This data was presented to city officials, schools, and nonprofits, and through strategic work, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County adopted the Bill of Rights for Children and Young Adults. In 2023, we won the Bold Steps for Children Award granted by the Kids in Common Network.
I also spoke at the State Capitol on behalf of Bill AB 1643. This bill grants more community diversion opportunities for youth throughout California facing theft crimes. In July 2023, the bill passed at both the state and senate levels. My activism continued. I partnered with the Santa Clara Office of Education and Big Picture Anthems to create this fantastic “Green Career Anthems” music video, which was released in April 2024 on YouTube and is now shown in middle schools and high schools throughout the country to inspire youth to pursue green careers for environmentally sustainable communities!
I currently sit on the City of San José’s Google Fund Commission, working with twelve other East San José community members to decide how to allocate $155 million donated by Google for community stabilization. I am a Latinx Environmental Research Fellow at UC Berkeley, focusing on why Latinx has limited representation in public policy. Through my research, I hope to provide new solutions inspiring young Latinx to pursue public policy careers since we comprise vast portions of this nation’s population. We must represent our communities and create the changes necessary to thrive as our ancestors prayed we’d one day have again. I plan to continue traveling nationwide as a social entrepreneur, working with established and upcoming organizations serving opportunity youth, speaking at events, and mobilizing social change. I dream of graduating from law school to continue inspiring and uplifting historically underrepresented communities who need it and, most importantly, give back to the community that once gave back to me, the East Side of San José.
It takes being inspired by others doing the work, seeking support, and never giving up; even when life has setbacks, rise ten times harder. Always remember to believe in yourself because SI SE PUEDE!
