Miguel
12th Grade at Kearny SCT
Class of 2018
Why did you join the YAC? What’s been your best experience thus far?
I joined YAC because I want to make a change in my community. Growing up in my community of Valencia Park was rough because I was limited to the many activities which I wanted to do. This became normal to me until I grew older and was exposed to the outside world. Fast-food restaurants invade my community while in wealthy communities like La Jolla and Coronado had the luxuries of organic foods and classy restaurants. I joined the YAC to improve the accessibility to healthy foods in communities like mine. My experience in the YAC has been amazing and has became a big part of my life. I love every YAC meeting and am always looking forward to the next one.
How has your participation in the YAC helped you develop as an individual?
My participation in the YAC has helped me significantly develop as an individual. Before joining the YAC, I was timid and was afraid of sharing my ideas in fear that they would be ignored or that they would be “not to good enough”. This changed after each YAC meeting because I am always given an opportunity to share my ideas. Now, I am not afraid of public speaking and love to share my ideas on any issue.
What’s your dream job?
My dream job is to work in technology. Technology has developed significantly over the past few years and it will only continue to do so. I want to be a part of that. I want to become a System Administrator because I love diagnosing and fixing issues which computers might have.
What’s a quote that motivates you?
A quote that motivates me was said by the famous rap artist, Tupac Shakur. “I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will”. Despite doing so many things for my community, I stress that I am not doing enough. If I attend a conference, I always strive to make new connections and share my message to those around me. Perhaps it is not making a big change but it calms my mind that I could have sparked the brain that will make the next change.
