Julissa was born to Salvadoran parents and raised in Ceres, CA with her older sister. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Sociology due to her passion and desire for a deeper understanding of social life and change. While at UCSB, she was a campus tour guide and frequently took part in volunteer work such as food bank packing and community clean ups.
Julissa’s work as a tour guide as well as volunteering in the community reassured her that working with youth in their communities was the career path she was meant to take. Her current role at yli is Senior Program Coordinator for Moving Forward, Youth United, and K-12 Mental Health Advocacy in Merced, CA. Moving Forward follows 4 different cohorts throughout the year, focusing on youth development and restorative justice.
Altogether, the cohorts serve about 20 young people, and Julissa creates agendas, facilitates meetings, and implements curriculum. In Youth United, Julissa assists youth in pushing forward a parks campaign which aims to secure investments in parks across the city of Merced. The K-12 Statewide Mental Health Advocacy campaign is new to the Merced office. Julissa, along with a team of 7 young people, is learning about the new Behavioral Health Services Act and how to use it when advocating for mental health improvements in the communities.
In her free time Julissa enjoys reading, listening to music, playing video games, and watching documentaries.