The eight weeks I spent in the 2001 Exploring Leadership program were a period of hard work, long hours, many seminars and presentations, and plenty of new challenges. I learned how to be an effective facilitator and team player, I sharpened my communication skills, and I was exposed to a variety of different sectors. Meanwhile, Coro ignited a deep passion within me—a passion for public service. I became socially aware on a much higher level. My eyes and my mind were pried open, and I was able to see society in an entirely new light. The importance of serving communities in need became my focus, and I realized how much I enjoyed doing it. Coro instilled in me the belief that I, too, as a child of immigrants, can make a difference in this country. I left with a newfound confidence in knowing that I could be an agent of change in the world.

This sentiment is what I have strived to pursue and has highlighted my journey since those days. When I entered college at UC Berkeley, I became involved with the AmeriCorps Bonner Leaders Program, in which I was an Outreach Fellow for the Cal Corps Public Service Center. After college, I helped run a local campaign for a Democratic political consulting firm.

Wanting to gain more exposure to the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, I then worked for the S. H. Cowell Foundation as a Program Assistant for the Youth Development, Family Resource Centers, and Affordable Housing program areas. Currently, I work at the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP), a nonprofit in San Francisco’s Mission District as their Communications & Evaluation Coordinator. A bustling FRC (Family Resource Center), HPP provides more than 3,500 poor and homeless San Francisco families the opportunity to end childhood poverty each year. Every day, I see the lives of families and children impacted for the better by our amazing staff, more than half of whom are former clients.

I couldn’t have gotten here without Coro and its life-changing Exploring Leadership program. I look forward to staying involved with Coro as an Alumni Advisory Council member. As a committee member for the Council’s Mentoring Program, one of our goals is to connect the graduating EL classes with Coro alumni, who will serve as mentors to the youth. I am thrilled to be offering this opportunity to the Coro community and happy that I can continue to play a role in this stellar organization that will always hold a special place in my heart.