Alexis is a proud first-generation Xicana, born minutes away from the border but raised in various cities around San Diego. Being born in a mixed-status household and raised by a single mother, Alexis was constantly faced with the pressures of navigating low-resourced, hyper-criminalized educational systems and institutions that were constantly set up against her and members of her own communities.
She brings in her experiential knowledge and formal education of studying law and education at UCSC where she developed an interest for research, advocacy, and the power of language as a tool for rejecting dehumanizing labels about her loved ones who were incarcerated. Excited about learning from the rich cultural knowledge that communities hold, she spent time in Santa Cruz outside of classes to work with Latinx youth and mothers impacted by immigration to support them in seeing the power of telling their own narrative(s). As a program coordinator, she is committed to fostering the leadership, growth, and success of all systems-impacted youth and young mothers at the YWFC. Alexis carries her curiosity across various paths and spaces in life through Angela Davis’ quote, “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
