In 2023, my passion for sociology evolved as I began to take action in my community. I joined Changeist, a youth activism nonprofit. This organization allowed me to explore and address a variety of social problems. Notably, with Changeist, I was able to help organize a clothing drive for the San Joaquin Pride Center and put together mental health packages to give to those in need. During my sophomore year of school, I also became more involved on my high school campus. I started the Women of Color club (WOC), my school's first intersectional feminist group in my sophomore year. We've held discussions on topics relating to racism and misogyny, and our members are always willing to contribute to these heavy conversations. I didn't fully grasp the impact of starting this club until the end of junior year, when a freshman girl shared her story with me. She joined our school's cheer team, but was subjected to racism. This negative experience led her to seek out our club. She expressed her gratitude to me for having a space on campus that made her feel valued. Her words were a powerful reminder of why WOC mattered. Another moment that filled me with pride was when I was invited to speak to a group of girls in a Leadership for Women program. Among them was a friend of some of my club members. As I shared the story of WOC and the reasons behind its creation, she told me how much the club had helped her friends. This encounter was another confirmation that starting this club was undoubtedly worth it. Through this club, I have made my school a better place by creating a sanctuary for marginalized girls and a platform for their voices to be heard. WOC embraces diversity rather than shaming it, empowering these girls to build a strong sense of self and resilience. I will forever be proud of the impact I have made on my high school campus. Watching my peers find strength and companionship in WOC has reinforced my dedication to advocacy. During my first year at changeist, I remember visiting a local women's shelter and hearing the devastating stories of the women there. This raw display of injustice fueled my passion for advocacy. Abusive relationships and a lack of affordable housing trapped these ladies in a cycle of poverty. Seeing how their experiences were shaped by intersecting identities like gender and socioeconomic status highlighted the need for addressing multiple forms of equality together. As a junior, I joined my school's United Student Body and I was chosen as the lead for the USB Mental Health Committee. During my time, I led a project promoting suicide awareness. My committee and I decided to reach out to our school counselors to create a video that informed students on the mental health resources provided on campus and self-care strategies that they can practice to prioritize their health. By doing this, we provided students with accessible and trusted resources. I also made suicide prevention flyers that provided crisis hotlines. These flyers now hang in many classrooms around campus, serving as a constant reminder of support and care for all students. Actively studying sociology and taking action in my community has solidified my commitment to contribute to the well-being of marginalized communities. Changeist and USB has shown me that starting at a local/smaller level addresses immediate needs and lays the foundation for a future filled with great possibilities.

I have always struggled with my identity as a Black girl. People often labeled me as “whitewashed” because my interests and personality didn’t align with their narrow perception of Blackness. My journey through these hurtful comments was difficult and, unfortunately, inevitable. Black girls have to deal with ignorant terms like ghetto,” "ratchet," and “whitewashed” because society forces labels onto us before seeing us for who we truly are. Regardless of how we are perceived, black girls will be subjected to mistreatment. This constant battle with labels led me to take action, not only for myself but for all girls of color. During my sophomore year, I realized many girls of color at my school were also dealing with racism and misogyny on campus. I then decided that we needed a safe space—a supportive community where we could freely share our stories. This led me to start the Women of Color (WOC) club, my school's first intersectional feminist group dedicated to girls of color. WOC not only serves as a safe space but also as a place where people on campus can come and learn about the intersectionality of women and trailblazing women of color that have made or are working to make a significant impact on society. Starting this club was not easy. WOC struggled to “take off” in its early days, with only a few members. However, we didn’t let this discourage us. By junior year, our persistence and dedication had paid off. In the past year, we have created a beautiful community of like-minded individuals. WOC is now made up of a diverse group of intelligent, brave, young women who are unafraid to voice their opinions. We've held discussions on racism, sexism, microaggressions, and stereotypes, and our members are always willing to contribute to these heavy conversations. This is exactly what I envisioned for my club. Seeing how comfortable they have become in this space has been very rewarding. I didn't fully grasp the impact of starting this club until the end of junior year, when a freshman girl in WOC shared her story with me. She joined our school's cheer team but faced an immense amount of anti-Blackness. This negative experience led her to seek out our club. In WOC, she found a supportive community and expressed her gratitude to me for having a space on campus that made her feel valued. Her words were a powerful reminder of why WOC mattered. Through the Women of Color club, I have made my school a better place by creating a sanctuary for the girls on campus and a platform for their voices to be heard. WOC embraces diversity rather than shames it, empowering these girls to build a strong sense of self and resilience. I will forever be proud of the impact I have made on my high school campus, and I will continue this advocacy work in college and beyond. Serving as the president of WOC has equipped me with the leadership skills necessary to drive change. I have learned the importance of empathy, communication, and open-mindedness. I will always carry these lessons with me. This experience was grounded in my dedication to advocacy. We currently live in an unjust society, and we all have a responsibility to fight against it, or else injustice will prevail. Safe spaces like WOC are crucial for this very reason.

The world has never been nice to women, but women of color especially have been mistreated by society. I am a Black girl and I was forced to know what that meant from a very young age. There are so many negative labels attached to my identity that have made it hard for me to feel comfortable at school. It seemed like all of my elementary classmates always had this preconceived opinion of me; I was just another “ghetto” Black girl. As one of the very few Black girls in my grade, I was constantly being reminded that since I am both Black and a girl, I will always be less than. This belief has followed me all throughout my life. Eventually, “ghetto” wasn’t the only term I was labeled with. To many people, I don’t fit the stereotype; I’m not loud, I’m not a ghetto, I like to read, and rap is not my favorite music genre. In other words, they see me as “whitewashed.” However, all of these traits do not make me any less Black because being Black is not defined by your interests or the way that you act. Being Black is a multifaceted and beautiful experience, going beyond superficial labels. One day during my sophomore year I was reflecting on all of the negative experiences I had to face throughout elementary, middle school, and high school. I felt isolated from my peers and alone. I then realized that if I feel this way, then there are probably a great number of girls of color at my school that feel the same way. This is when I got the idea to start the “Women of Color” club. With the WOC club I aimed to create a safe place for young women of color on my schools campus where they can share their experience growing up within a society that judges them based on their race and physical attributes. Although my high school campus does have a multitude of cultural clubs, there was still a group of students that weren’t necessarily being represented; there wasn’t a place for us, so I took the initiative and created one. As the president of the WOC club, I have planned many meetings about the intersectional discrimination brought upon girls. We have done presentations on important women of color in history and the challenges they faced as well as held discussions on our own personal experiences. I didn’t have much experience in leadership before starting this club, but I picked up some skills throughout my journey. The most important lesson I learned from starting this club is the value of taking initiative. If I didn’t step up for my girls of color, they would’ve continued to feel alone. The members have expressed to me how much they enjoy the meetings and I can tell they are comfortable sharing their stories. I am very proud of this community that I have created. When I enter college in the Fall of 2025, I plan on continuing my leadership journey at whatever campus I end up at; even if that means starting my own club or organization. I want to be a part of initiatives that aim at the well-being of women and people of color. Being the voice for my people is something that is very important to me. I’m not the type of girl to sit around and wait for change to happen; I want to be at the forefront of change.