Wileisha Shipp Vaughns was born and raised in South Central. She was motivated to fight for the freedom of all people due to being a system-impacted person. She knew and saw the resources the community lacked, and that motivated her to strive to improve the quality of life for marginalized people like herself.
Wileisha had the opportunity to attend college right away, but unfortunately, she did not finish the first time around due to becoming a young mom. She had her first child at 22, and her daughter became the motivation she needed to keep going. Aside from working in healthcare, at her family-owned business, and mentoring, she returned to school while pregnant with her second child and graduated with a BA in Political Science, with a focus in Law, Politics & Policy from CSULB.
Wileisha is now a Self-Determination Coordinator at YWFC and she is excited about supporting young women and trans people of all genders. She plans to return to school one day to attain her JD and continue the fight for system-impacted people. A famous quote that carries Wileisha through life is, “it’s not on you. It’s in you”—Nipsey Hussle.