Yvette is a Central Valley native, having lived in Fresno, Kerman and Biola throughout her life. She graduated from Kerman High School in 2015 and then Fresno Pacific University in 2019 with two B.A.s in Psychology and Sociology. Yvette has a strong passion for health equity, education justice, and cultural dignity. As a long time yli-er, she has gained experience in policy advocacy work, and working with and mentoring youth. She was a youth participant in yli’s Kerman Friday Night live Chapter most of high school. While in high school, she also served on the Kerman Youth Commission to represent youth voice, helped start the Kerman Teen Summit, and was part of Hispañas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Program.
After graduating high school, Yvette interned for yli’s Fresno office and was instrumental in training and building relationships with key stakeholders through yli’s Training & Consulting Services. While in college, Yvette worked as a Reproductive Health Educator with Fresno Barrios Unidos, teaching at all middle schools and high schools in California’s 3th largest school district. She has led social emotional learning work with yli’s Prevention and Early Intervention team and now is leading the Fresno Youth Artivism Program.