WEBVTT

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Growing up. it was. I think.

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difficult to imagine myself.
even in a career I'm in right now.

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My dad was a UPS driver. my mom was a
attendance clerk at a high school.

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I couldn't really look up to someone
that was in like a high corporate setting.

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kind of like the one I'm
in working at National Geographic Society.

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I really did not feel worthy.

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I repeatedly heard phrases like. “you
don't belong.” “you're unintelligent.”

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“you won't make it.”
And even if my parents encouraged me.

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it was still sometimes
hard to see myself there.

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The belief in myself
really evolved at Cal Poly Pomona.

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They love to support students;
they love to mentor students.

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Before. you know.
I didn't have many professional mentors.

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And having that felt so validating
and empowering that.

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with this support of a community.
I can elevate myself.

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I realized

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I was queer probably when I was 12
or 13 years old in middle school.

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I wasn't really able to come out
until when I got to Cal Poly Pomona.

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I would attend a meeting
or go to a leadership

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event and people would just own
their identity and say they were queer.

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Eventually I had the courage to say. “Hey. I'm queer.”
and I just kept saying it more and more

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And it really was about the environment

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it gave me comfort to say it myself.

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And I think it

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gave me the confidence that I don't
just have to stay out at Cal Poly Pomona

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I can definitely extend it
to other places.

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I became passionate about DEI work.
which stands for diversity.

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equity. and inclusion. after I was going
through a really tough time in my life.

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I felt like I had no direction.

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I was suicidal.
I was engaged in self-harm.

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I actually took that semester off.

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as I was not doing well
in any direction. in any aspect.

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But my professors were very understanding.

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They were very supportive and they knew
that I wasn’t in the right mindset.

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And then going into my fourth year
I was doing a lot better

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and I learned that
I actually had a passion

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for communicating. organizing. building
community; I switched to communication -

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that was where I actually found a calling.

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I joined the Access and Disability
Alliance.

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Cathy was the President.

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She asked if someone wanted
to be a co-chair with her and she really

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challenged me to think a different way
and gave me a lot of opportunity.

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It was just after that I got involved
in so much more with disability.

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mental health. and it just kept going up
and it's exciting.

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I was here at the White House!

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I was accepted through the Mental Health
Youth Action Forum. which was planned by

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MTV and collaborated with the White House
and several non-profits.

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It’s a huge honor.

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I applied for the National Alliance
on Mental Illness Next Gen Program.

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which is basically their youth
advisory board.

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and I've had a chance to speak on national
television because of them. and so

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any way I can help elevate people.
I'm always trying to do that.

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I believe if

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my younger self met who I am today.
they wouldn’t recognized them.

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All the emotions of imposter

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syndrome of doubt. it really changed
when I was in a safe environment.

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And I think that community is
what really brought that in me

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to believe in myself more
And I'm always going to take the lessons

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I learned from Cal
Poly Pomona because of that.