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The more I remember my 8th birthday, the more I examine the idea that I had money for either a birthday cake or a present. My family couldn’t afford to get me both. When I came to this realization, I started thinking about other things that might have pointed to this truth.

This is the reality for youth in my community and that’s how environmental injustice shows up in my life, quite literally in the air I breathe. The reality is the Salton Sea is drying up and has been drying up since 2003, the year I was born.

My mom, aunts, and uncles had to discuss how much they were all going to pitch in to pay for the medical bills and possibly for the funeral, since my grandpa’s condition didn’t seem to improve. With my family’s situation, I know how important it is to have healthcare.

I’ve come to understand through my experience that a multitude of perspectives are needed in order to make comprehensive judgements. And by inserting my own perspective and morals into the discussion as well, I’ve learned that progress does not come from one-size fits all solutions, because they simply don’t exist.

Having to work since a very young age, my father didn’t have access to the educational opportunities I have been fortunate enough to be privy to. He instilled in me this love for learning, to take school seriously in order to equip myself with the tools and skills I would need to succeed, to make something of myself.

Meet our 21-22 Calafia fellows! Calafia is yli’s statewide youth policy journal that amplifies the narratives of young people on topics and issue areas important to them and their communities