MEET OUR 2023 FELLOWS

Meet the other cohorts here:

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

ari_duarte

ARI DUARTE
SHE / HER
YOUNG WOMEN’S FREEDOM CENTER
San Francisco / Richmond CA

Ari is a really fiery outgoing, super chill person who overall wants to see other young leaders thrive and also is open to sharing that thrive fullness as well. Ari has a very fiery spirit  which they contribute without a doubt to the fact that she is a wonderful ARIES. She tends to get excited quickly and loves an adventure but also with all their perks comes a lot of headstrong actions which they are still working to tame.

Meet Ari
bubba_riggins

BUBBA RIGGINS
HE / HIM
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INDIAN DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (NCIDC)
HUMBOLDT, DEL NORTE NORTHERN CA

Hello, my name is Bubba Riggins and I am a Hoopa Valley Tribal member and am of Yurok descent. I come from the McCovey/Jackson family(s) of Hoopa. I have been working with youth since I was a youth myself and have made it my goal to support and empower the next generation in any way that I can. I am hoping to gain as much as I can from this opportunity so that I can in turn, help build the next generation of strong Native leaders.

Meet Bubba
charis_guerzo

CHARIS GUERZO
SHE/HER
LITTLE MANILA RISING
Stockton, CA

I am Charis, the daughter of Ilokano immigrants, nurses, and farmworkers—I'm also a sister, friend, and creative. I was born and raised in north Stockton and now work with and for South Stockton. Through the fellowship, I hope to strengthen my practice of active (un)learning, holistic wellness, and partnership and deepen my understanding of interconnectedness to ultimately contribute to creating space for our youth to dream, rest, thrive, and heal. Youth organizing is important to me because our youth—their energy, voice, passions, present and futures—matter and must be protected. They bring life to everything they touch and speak over; without them, there would be no movement in the social justice movement.

Meet Charis
christine_thao

CHRISTINE THAO
SHE / THEY
HMONG INNOVATING POLITICS (HIP)
Sacramento, CA

Hi, my name is Christine Thao and I use she/they pronouns. I am a Queer Hmong womxn, a daughter of Refugee parents, an aunty, a sister, and a pet parent to two fur-babies and a pair of river turtles. I graduated from CSU Sacramento in 2017 with a degree in Communication Studies and I currently work as the administrative assistant for Hmong Innovating Politics in Sacramento, California.

Youth organizing is important to me because I believe that when impacted and marginalized youth voices are uplifted and are included at the decision making tables, that is when real transformation is possible. It is important because it empowers youth to take action and become the creators of their own lives.

Through this fellowship I hope to build my confidence and capacity to facilitate, cultivate, and hold spaces where young people feel supported, have a space to dream, make mistakes, and grow their leadership. I also hope to do healing work on myself, with the community, and build deeper relationships with my fellow organizers.

Meet Christine
daniel__segura-esquivel

DANIEL SEGURA-ESQUIVEL
HE / HIM
CENTRAL COAST ALLIANCE UNITED FOR A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY (CAUSE)
Central Coast, CA

Hello! My name is Daniel Segura (he/him), born and raised in Santa Maria, CA to immigrant farmworker parents. I currently serve my community as the Youth and Young Adult Organizer with CAUSE. Alongside our base, we focus on environmental, housing, and labor rights issues within our policy based campaigns fighting for a more equitable future for all. I have a desire to expand my healing justice and leadership coaching skills through the Emerging Organizers fellowship to better support my youth leaders. Youth organizing has been a constant in my life since I was 14, and I understand firsthand the importance of having youth voices at the table. I love helping youth find what fuels their fire!

Meet Daniel
emily_aide_cota

EMILY AIDE COTA
SHE / HER
MILPA COLLECTIVE
Salinas, CA

 

Hey! My name is Emily and I'm from Salinas, CA, born and raised. I'm an artist/organizer and I identify as an Indigenous Mexican/American (native roots to so-called California & Michoacán). I've always been passionate about people power, the movement, community, creativity, and using art as a means of getting to feel that sense of freedom we're all striving towards. Self expression as a liberatory practice is important to me, to have seen that creativity grow through organizing and vice versa is so affirming. There's a direct correlation there between advocacy and art and I'm blessed to have a space to grow those skills as a Youth Justice Intern with the MILPA Collective. We work to end mass incarceration and the school to prison pipeline, and I love that MILPA shines a specific focus on that as someone who is a young abolitionist. Youth have historically been a part of the frontlines of every great revolution, they bring fresh ideas and have a way of shaking things up; and I believe our voices not only deserve but demand that amplification for future's sake. I'm honored to have been chosen for this cohort and look forward to growing and sharing with the rest of these phenomenal, powerful organizers from their respective communities. Connections like these are what bring about that true transformation.

Meet Emily
hadiyah_owens

HADIYAH OWENS
SHE / HER
OAKLAND KIDS FIRST
Oakland CA
Praxis Learning Community Fellow

 

My name is Hadiyah Owens. I am a Town girl, raised in Oakland my entire life. I love to goof around and enjoy the things in life that bring me joy, because we work in a world that does not prioritize joy. The organizing work I hope to accomplish would be centered around incorporating more healing opportunities for youth while simultaneously protesting the injustices that affect them daily at school.

Meet Hadiyah
h_desta

HAWI DESTA
SHE / HER
YOUTH ORGANIZE CALIFORNIA (YO! CALI)
Bay Area, CA
Praxis Learning Community Fellow

Hawi Desta is a driven young woman who is currently pursuing a degree in Political Science and a minor in Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Growing up in East Palo Alto, California, Hawi witnessed firsthand the stark inequalities that exist in our society. She saw how systemic racism, poverty, and other forms of discrimination can limit opportunities and prevent individuals and communities from reaching their full potential. As Hawi became more aware of these injustices, she felt a strong desire to take action and work towards creating a more just and equitable world. This led her to pursue youth organizing as a means of empowering herself and other young people to advocate for their rights and challenge the status quo, a powerful way to create meaningful change. She currently works as a Youth Power Fund Fellow for Yo!Cali, and has had several experiences in both trust based philanthropy and participatory grantmaking. As someone with a passion for social justice and equity, Hawi is particularly interested in participatory grantmaking as a means of ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities. In my current role, I work to support Yo!Cali's capacity building and power building strategies and efforts in northern California.

Meet Hawi
iris_villalpando

IRIS AZUCENA VILLALPANDO
THEY / THEM / ELLE
GENTE ORGANIZADA
POMONA, INLAND EMPIRE CA

Hii! I am a first-generation queer, nonbinary, Latine youth organizer from Pomona, CA. I have been a youth activist and organizer since 2017. Organizing has been a form of survival and a way to make sense of what was goes on in my community. As a fellow, I hope to learn skills that help structure my organizing and activism and make it sustainable, as well as strengthen intergenerational organizing and collaboration in community. Youth organizing is important to me because when I needed community and support, organizing is where I found other youth feeling what I felt and wanting to create change for ourselves. Youth organizing takes steps towards liberation for youth and our communities while also cultivating care. The earlier we start stepping back and allow youth to step up, the sooner we will begin to heal our communities and move towards collective change.

Meet Iris
jocelyn_ngo

JOCELYN NGO
SHE / THEY
ACT FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS
Visalia, CA

Jocelyn Ngo (she/they) is a Program Coordinator with ACT for Women and Girls where she emphasizes on community basic necessities. She is deeply invested in creating and maintaining community relationships all across the Central Valley of California. Throughout the Emerging Organizers Fellowship, she hopes to find knowledge on practices for day to day well-being, community sustainability, and community base-building. Jocelyn believe youth organizing is important because the youth who learn to collaborate, care, and consider each other will be the individuals who restore a type of community love we have been missing.

Meet Jocelyn
julissa_ruiz_ramirez

JULISSA RUIZ RAMIREZ
SHE / HER/ ELLA
CENTRAL VALLEY BLACK INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF COLOR COALITIONS (CVBIPOCC)
Merced, CA

Hello everyone I'm Julissa (she/her(s)/ella). I was born in occupied Purépecha and Guamares territory and I have since then become a guest in Yokut land. I want to reconnect to my power and my inner fire that has helped guide me in movement work in order to keep fighting for the longer battles ahead. Youth organizing is imperative to keep the movement going and to bring in and equip new organizers with the appropriate tools and skills necessary in movement work.

Meet Julissa
kaede_coronado-acuna

KAEDE Coronado-Acuña
THEY / THEM
-
Fresno, CA

 

Kaede (they/them) originally from the SoCal area, Kaede moved to Fresno at a young age and started their youth organizing career during high school when they joined GSA Network’s Central Valley Youth Council as a youth trainer. As a non-binary POC, they continue their work in social justice because of their passion for queer, gender, and racial justice. The organizing work that Kaede seeks to accomplish through this fellowship is to establish a deeper understanding of youth organizing and to become more confident in their role. Youth organizing is important to Kaede because they have seen the passion and determination in young people to stand up for what they believe in; they want to help young folks in their fight for liberation.

Meet Kaede
kameiko_hostler

KAMEIKO HOSTLER
SHE / HER
CALIFORNIA NATIVE VOTE PROJECT
Sacramento, CA

Hey;Yung! 

My name is Kameiko Hostler and I come from the village of Ta’k’milding on the Hoopa Valley Reservation. I graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Politics in June of 2023. I am currently a Youth Organizer for the California Native Vote Project, working to build community and youth power through political education and organizing skills. Through this fellowship, I aspire to deepen my understanding of community organizing and glean insights into the remarkable efforts undertaken by other communities of color to uplift their people. Our youth represent the future, and nurturing their ability to advocate for themselves and their communities is integral to fostering individual and collective empowerment. My profound dedication to this work stems from the support and encouragement I've received from my own community in pursuing an education. My commitment to making the most of my education and giving back through my work is a way of honoring my community and our ancestors, who have inspired me. Ts'ehdiyah! 

Meet Kameiko
karina_zepeda_zamorano

KARINA ZEPEDA ZAMORANO
SHE / HER
INLAND EMPIRE IMMIGRANT YOUTH COLLECTIVE (IEIYC)
Inland, CA

Karina Zepeda is the Youth Program Coordinator at the IEIYC. She was born in Queretaro, Mexico, and currently resides in the Inland Empire. She graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology in June 2023. As someone who grew up in the Inland Empire, she is passionate about continuing the efforts to bring social justice and transformative change to our communities and create a safe space for the undocumented youth population. She looks forward to strengthening her organizing and communication skills as well as building community with the cohort and team!

Meet Karina
lazuli_trujano

LAZULI TRUJANO
THEY / THEM
COMMUNITIES FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT(CBE)
Richmond, CA

Lazuli Trujano (they/them) was born and raised on Ohlone Territory/ Bay Area. Much of their organizing is inspired from being a lifetime frontline community member of Richmond, CA, a refinery town. Their hope is to create pathways towards healing, activation, and restoration for the community members and the land of Richmond. Being a youth organizer and activating other young people in my community to make a change is so important because it is time that we bring a new energy, perspective, and values of love, care, community, so that we can all move out of survival mode and begin to build the world we want to see.

Meet Lazuli
lucky_aden

LUCKY ADEN
SHE / HER
Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)
San Diego, CA
Praxis Learning Community Fellow

Lucky is the Youth Organizer at PANA. She facilitates Youth Congress, a space dedicated to helping young, first generation immigrant and refugee leaders from across San Diego County build their advocacy skills and bring change to their communities. 

Lucky began her journey as a volunteer in youth spaces with Somali Youth United. She is from a Somali immigrant background and came to the United States at the age of five. She has a bachelor's degree in Food and Nutrition from San Diego State University, and her biggest accomplishment is obtaining her masters in Healthcare Administration in 2022 from Ohio University. Lucky’s goal is to one day have a nonprofit organization that will create a bridge for the healthcare system back home along with making sure her community here in America can advocate for themselves and their loved ones in the healthcare setting. During her free time, Lucky loves to spend time with family, explore new coffee shops, go to the beach to catch the sunset, and travel.

Meet Lucky
marshe_doss

MARSHÉ DOSS
SHE / HER
STUDENTS DESERVE
Los Angeles, CA
Praxis Learning Community Fellow

Marshé Doss is a L.A.U.S.D graduate from Dorsey High School in South Los Angeles. She is an organizer and leader in the student-led movement #Students Deserve. She leads the Making Black Lives Matter in Schools effort in LA which tackles the school to prison pipeline and over-policing of schools in black communities.Her dedication to this work comes from wanting her two younger sisters and other black and brown youth to have the resources in their schools and communities to succeed. She is a nationally recognized speaker, organizer and activist, known for Direct Actions and addressing crowds of over 50,000 people.

Meet Marshé
meche_pineda

MECHE PINEDA-LOPEZ
SHE / THEY
YOUTH OUTREACH and LEARNING INSTITUTE (YOALI)
Merced, CA

Meche engages in rural movements that address the effects of US imperialism by challenging institutions developed through capitalism (i.e. prisons, immigration detention centers, etc.) alongside youth in Merced. They believe that this system of oppression and exploitation can be dismantled and replaced by one which embraces accessible health, food, and educational systems for all people. Their method in achieving this relies heavily on supporting global indigenous (spiritual and agricultural) practices.

Meet Meche
monike_reynozo

MONIKE REYNOZO
SHE / HER
LOUD FOR TOMORROW
Delano, CA

Monike Reynozo is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and is the first in her family to graduate college. She recently graduated from CSUB with her B.A. in Political Science and Masters in Public Administration. Through this fellowship she hopes become a more courageous and radical organizer that centers wellbeing in our work and addresses the needs of our communities. Monike finds youth organizing important as it was something that was not accessible for her growing up. She saw the lack of youth investment in her community of Delano and wants to create an environment where youth voices are centered.

Meet Monike
patricia_tin

PATRICIA TIN
SHE / HER
KHMER GIRLS in ACTION (KGA)
Long Beach, CA

Three words I would describe myself would be adventurous, nurturing, and driven. What I would hope to accomplish through the fellowship is to deepen my purpose and understanding of my goals in the social justice movement. Youth organizing is important because building their leadership skills gives them the opportunity to step into their power to create meaningful and impactful change in their lives and community.

Meet Patricia
seanna_sou

SEANNA SOU
SHE / HER
YOUTH TOGETHER
Oakland, CA

Hi everyone! My name is Seanna (Sea-On-Nah). I am a Cambodian/Malaysian womxn from Deep East Oakland, Ca. As a young person who grew up in the hood of Oakland, I felt that I lacked access to a mentor and the resources needed to support my aspirations. Being able to organize within my community has been my greatest gift; I want to be able to nourish, support, and offer a safe space for our young people because youth have the potential to be strong leaders. Youth voice hold power and can advocate for change.Through this fellowship, I hope to gain the confidence to help me continue this goal of mine as an organizer.

Meet Seanna
stephanie_cierra_rodas

STEPHANIE CIERRA RODAS
SHE / HER
INNER CITY STRUGGLE
Los Angeles, CA

I'm Stephanie Cierra: a Latine, first-generation college graduate, and east los native. I am a Site Organizer for United Students at Mendez HS and Roosevelt HS. I have a passion for working with students, holding space for their curiosity, and facilitating social justice/popular education curriculum. I hope to gain an understanding of how to keep the work I do sustainable through boundary setting and overall professional confidence. Youth organizing is important to me, because it holds space for folx who are historically underserved, it allows them to become informed and take agency in the movement -- it is beautiful.

Meet Stephanie
stephanie_jauregui

STEPHANIE JAUREGUI
THEY / SHE
CALIFORNIANS FOR JUSTICE
Oakland, CA

Stephanie they/she Queer Artist and Community organizer from East Oakland. I hope you grow my skills through this fellowship. Youth organizing is important to me because I started organizing as a young person and I understand so deeply that when we have caring adults and examples of how to organize in our communities  youth are down.

Meet Stephanie
subrein

SUBREIN DAMANHOURY
SHE / HER
MAJDAL CENTER
San Diego, CA

Hi everyone! My name is Subrein I’m Palestinian and was born and raised in San Diego. I graduated from San Diego State University with an Interdisciplinary degree in Arabic, Political Science, and History with a focus on the SWANA region. I currently work at the Majdal Arab Community Center as a youth programs coordinator. I lead two mentorship programs and serve on the Youth Leadership Council for the San Diego Refugee Community Coalitions. Through this fellowship I hope to learn more about organizing from my peers and gain different insights on organizing. The youth are an important, powerful and necessary part of change! Youth organizing is the key to creating everlasting change in society and without youth, liberation is not possible!

Meet Subrein
vianey_moreno

VIANEY MORENO
SHE / HER
PACOIMA BEAUTIFUL
Pacoima, CA

Vianey works alongside youth of color in outdoor exploration, the arts, and leadership development in the Northeast San Fernando Valley and LA area. Vianey aims to work in developing my took-kit to continue to foster more meaningful connections with first-generation and undocumented students. Her work is important as there is limited youth programming that is focused on the well-begin of young people that also teaches them how to use their voice and be advocates of change in their community, her  hope to one day see a youth centered in her community.

Meet Vianey
victor_ponce

VICTOR PONCE
HE / HIM
MID CITY CAN
San Diego, CA

Victor Ponce is a first-generation Mexican American born in San Diego. Raised by his mother with the help of others, he has come to embody the saying "it takes a village to raise a child" including the community he now works in; City Heights. While a Senior at San Diego State Victor, interned with Metro Community Ministries, where he worked with youth impacted by the criminal justice system. Since then Victor has continued working in the social justice space with organizations like ACCE and Mid-City CAN in Civic Engagement and Youth Organizing. He hopes to further develop his skills in Youth Organizing so that he is able to support Mid-City CAN's Youth Council on their campaign to Revitalize the City Heights Urban Village. Youth deserve to be a part of the decision making process that will ultimately impact them and future generations.

Meet Victor

Praxis Learning Community

In cohort 6 we piloted additional resource components for past and present Black-identified organizers participating in the Fellowship to access intentional space for Black organizers and leaders to collectively rest, recalibrate, and explore what safety, wellness, and healing mean for them within youth organizing and social justice movement work.

 

thomas-haysbert

Araiye Thomas-Haysbert
She / Her
Youth Forward
Sacramento, CA
Cohort 1 Alumni

maning

Brianna Manning
She / Her
Urban Peace Movement
Emeryville, CA
Cohort 3 Alumni

lee-wallace

Larada Lee-Wallace
She / They
Advocates for Youth
Sacramento, CA
Cohort 4 Alumni

alemseged

Maraky Alemseged
They / She
Black Alliance for Just Immigrations (BAJI)
Los Angeles, CA
Cohort 4 Alumni

rapier

Maya Rapier 
She / Her
Oakland Kids First 
Oakland, CA
Cohort 5 Alumni

bomani

Natalya Bomani
They / Them
Berkeley, CA
Cohort 4 Alumni

Discover more about our fellowship program and find information about previous classes of fellows below.

View Fellowship