Erika (she/her) is a proud Pinay and Bay Area local. Born and raised in Oakland, Erika actively supports the work of change-makers in many communities across the San Francisco Bay Area through her roles as a youth development professional, project manager, grant writer, event planner, health educator, scholar, and volunteer.
Erika is a two-time alum of San Francisco State University and recently received her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education. Erika’s ever-growing public health interests include youth civic engagement, community organizing, and the school-to-workforce development pipeline and its relation to systemic racism.
Erika has over seven years of experience in youth development and nonprofit management. She finds joy in activating the voices of young people through youth participatory action research and connecting young people to unique professional development opportunities. Erika is currently a member of the San Mateo County Jobs for youth Workgroup as an Al Teglia scholarship application reviewer.
Erika is currently exploring her creative identity through photography, writing, dance, food, culture, and language.
In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction. ~Audre Lorde