Katy grew up in the unincorporated community of Thermal, CA after their family migrated to the US from Sinaloa, Mexico. Their interest in community organizing began in high school when they joined the FIRME film club where the focus was learning basic film and photography skills with an emphasis on telling the stories of the Eastern Coachella Valley. They then pursued a bachelor’s in Latin American and Latine Studies at UC Santa Cruz where they learned to love going on morning walks to the beach and bumping into deer in between classes. They are passionate about improving equitable access in the ECV community, with an emphasis on immigrant community and Queer and Trans youth.
During their down time, Katy loves to create print art, read horror novels and foster stray cats in their neighborhood.