- Alexis Carlos first attended the FLA youth leadership conference in 2016. Alexis says the experience, “helped out with public speaking. I used to be quiet but now I participate and speak up in class. I am more aware of the classes college-prep classes and to stand up for my own believes.” He enjoys working on the youth-led campaigns because he gets to meet new people and talk about college. Alexis has also volunteered as A-team member for the annual youth leadership conference.
- Gabby immigrated to the United States less than 3 years ago with her family in search of opportunities and education. Gabby attended her first Leadership Conference at Camp Whittier in the summer of 2015 and found it to be one of the best experiences she could have participated in. Among the many things that she learned that summer her favorite included public speaking, advocating for her needs and having access to university admissions information as well as gaining the confidence to pursue higher education. These experiences motivated her to get involved and become a volunteer for the Youth Leadership Conference and Family Empowerment Conference the following year. She will be attending CSUCI in the fall and plans to focus her studies on business or the criminal justice field and ultimately be able to able to give back to the community by helping other young people like herself who came to this country with many dreams, just as FLA did for her.
- Meet Juan Carrillo. Juan is a first generation college student who is valedictorian in his class and will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall. He is also a recipient of the Edison 4 year renewable scholarship. ”I attended the summer leadership camp the summer of 2014 at of the Camp Whittier. My involvement with FLA has looked phenomenal. Since camp, there was a strong sense of community and an extended family. Everyone is always willing to help each other out and there is a strong support system. I am currently a senior at Channel Islands High School. Once I graduate, I will be attending the University of California Berkeley to study mechanical engineering. I plan to use my education to become a master mechanic and build top performance automobiles and continue giving back to my community. FLA has greatly impacted my life. It allowed me to develop my leadership skills and become a part of a huge support system. I have met really amazing people here and it’s great to see the great things people are doing and the potential the upcoming youth have. Throughout these last couple of years, I was able to see the strength of the power we have as youth and advocate for issues that will benefit future generations.”
- Meet Alexandra Carranza. Alexandra First Attended Camp in 2013 at CSU Channel Islands. She then returned the following year as an A- Team volunteer and a peer facilitator in 2016. She enjoyed seeing the students in her familia return to the regular FLAMA meetings throughout the year. Before Future Leaders, Alexandra never had any interest in continuing her education beyond high school. Through the summer program, she was able to find the necessary resources and motivation to continue her schooling. Alexandra is now currently attending Santa Barbara City College and is studying administration of justice and also plans on transferring in one year. FLA gave her the motivation to work harder and make a difference in her life.
- Meet Kenia Guinto. Kenia first went to camp in 2002 and currently works in administration with Texas Instrument. She is also currently involved with the Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee (SBWPC). The summer leadership program helped Kenia better understand the college going process, this was especially helpful with her being a first generation college student. Kenia’s best memory with Future Leaders was having her father attend family camp and seeing him having fun participating in all the cheers while also gaining knowledge related to the college going process and how it is beneficial.