Over the past several years, I’ve worked to build power with communities often pushed to the margins, such as young people, trans folks, working-class students, through campaigns rooted in relational organizing and deep care.

One of the biggest impacts I’ve had was during the 2020 election cycle with Student Action. I helped lead a massive student voter turnout operation that reached over a million young voters during a pandemic, when traditional campus outreach was completely upended. We had to get creative fast— building digital infrastructure, training hundreds of new organizers remotely, and staying grounded in joy and mutual support even when everything felt chaotic. I personally helped train 650+ volunteers, and together we created voting plans with over 30,000 students. That wasn’t just about votes, but it was about giving young people the tools to believe their voices mattered and to see themselves in the work long-term.

Beyond electoral work, I’ve made a lasting impact through my work co-founding the Santa Barbara Transgender Advocacy Network. There, I developed and led transgender inclusion trainings for city officials and educators, many of whom had never had conversations about trans issues before. I also created and facilitated support groups for trans teens, which was one of the most meaningful things I’ve done. These spaces helped shift local policies and provided life-saving support for youth navigating a world that wasn’t built for them.

At every stage, I’ve tried to approach organizing not just as strategy, but as a practice of building relationships, growing leadership, and making people feel like they belong because that’s where real, long-term change starts.