At 13 years old, I founded The Reclamation Project.
Amidst the 2020 global pandemic exacerbating systemic inequality across California’s public schools and low-income immigrant enclaves, lived disparities grappled by racial minorities nationwide, and local resource crises, I sought to spearhead a grassroots movement led for and by immigrant/refugee youth and youth of color most highly-impacted by society’s shortcomings. Soon enough, The Reclamation Project became a youth-led advocacy-body advancing social justice educational infrastructure, youth equity and anti-oppression campaigns, petition-based civic involvement, and on-the-ground and digital means of organizing in the time that called on it the most.
Today, The Reclamation Project is a youth-run, grassroots social justice organization liberating and empowering historically-marginalized and under-served communities and youth to battle systems of oppression, trauma, violence, and poverty, including fighting for education, youth activism and civic engagement, socioeconomic and resource development, and cross-racial, cross-cultural solidarity throughout California, nationwide, and across the globe.
I am a movement-builder centering social, racial, and economic justice, immigrant rights, cultural empowerment, and anti-carceral youth equity and life development. As a daughter of working-class immigrants, I've learned throughout my life to grasp, fight for, and harness resources and opportunities not predisposed in my day-to-day life. My biggest commitment is inspiring—catalyzing—others to pull apart the boundaries of what they believe is possible.
Growing up in a predominantly low-income community in one of the most culturally-vibrant and diverse cities in the United States, raised by neighborhoods shaped by immigrant and refugee resilience and the stories of diaspora, my lived experiences as a first-generation Hoa-American has forged my lens for activism. I recognize disparities in how marginalized people are too-often neglected by leaders in power, unfulfilled government promises, and an increasingly inaccessible political system manifested in both local day-to-day institutions and historically-unjust systems impacting families and children, particularly people of color, across my home state of California, as well as across the United States and globally.
As someone whose childhood best friend became deeply entrenched in gang violence and the school-to-prison pipeline, I realize palpably the pressing need to urge leaders towards government progress and public policy that dismantle cycles of violence and trauma harming underserved American youth, as well as target root causes including poverty, lack of quality public education, over-policing, disproportionate deportation rates in low-income, immigrant neighborhoods of color, and further systems that fail to restore, and rather incarcerate and suppress, the young generation.
I work to challenge systems that have hurt American people for too long, while reimagining anew—building life-affirming institutions for the most marginalized members of society, while uniting people of diverse backgrounds and needs and across borders.
In parallel with The Reclamation Project, I’ve created…
Justice Network – Our ecosystem for abolitionist and immigrant justice organizing, discussion, and open learning, touring California and beyond through statewide institutes and community-based activations; Launching October 2025.
Youth Power Network - Our hub to empower young people in social impact, accelerate changemaking through consulting and mentorship, and invest in historically-marginalized young leaders through microgrants, fellowships, internships, and our Opportunity Library, (re)launching November 2025.
Statewide Youth Activism Conference - Annually in California, uniting 500+ students, community organizers, and social justice leaders across 100+ social and civic organizations to strengthen intersectional, intergenerational movement-building via keynotes, panels, workshops, breakout sessions, and more; Northern California Youth Racial and Economic Justice Summit (2024); Stand Up! Speak Out! Statewide Conference (2025).
Movement for Immigrant Rights - Rapid response, rhetoric/journalism, mass mobilizations/demonstrations, resource distributions, and Know Your Rights programming successfully reaching 300,000+ Californians across social media and through 7 in-person strategic organizing meetings, community art builds, and statewide marches/protests within span of just 2 weeks (est. 2025).
Supplies for Solidarity: Community-based campaign empowering socioeconomic resource equity in BIPOC & low-income immigrant neighborhoods, supporting 500+ marginalized student-families; Raised & reinvested $40,000+ in essential resources/programs to under-served communities & under-funded schools; 35,000+ supplies collected & distributed; 2022 Partner with Governor Newsom’s statewide Vaccinate All 58 Campaign providing 200+ historically-marginalized individuals with free COVID booster vaccines and testing; Partnering with 65+ campuses and 30+ grassroots organizations; 700+ volunteers mobilized across 7+ California school districts.
Abolitionist Learning and Political Education - Abolitionist history, critical analysis, and organizing/advocacy principles facilitated through accessible community forums and youth-tailored workshops convening 150+ people; Amplifying lived experiences grappling mass incarceration, the school-to-prison-pipeline, and policing as a catalyst of anti-carceral policy/budget advocacy (est. 2023)
California Youth Power-Building Fellowship - $20,000+ reinvested per year in capacitating grants, political education, and social impact mentorship to young changemakers of color, funding 10+ grassroots projects and bridging access to long-term expert guidance in social impact work (est. 2023).
Narrative Change & Youth-Driven Research - 7+ statewide listening sessions, 2 policy briefs and research reports, 3 magazine issues, and counting, reclaiming the narratives and stories of underrepresented and marginalized youth in public policy (est. 2024).
Youth Leadership Retreats - 3 annual full-day and/or multi-day sessions (and counting), equipping youth organizers with skills, resources, networks, education, and thought-partnerships to become effective, justice-minded leaders in their communities; Collective envisioning, ideas-sharing, and impact/growth labs (est. 2024).
Community Food Justice Program - Groceries, hot meals, and healthy food to our underserved neighbors, powered by students in meal preparation, food distribution, outreach, and local partnerships; 200+ volunteers engaged, 6,000+ meals distributed (est. 2021).
National Social Justice Education Coalition & Scholarship: Reinvested $12,000+ in scholarships for historically-marginalized students across the United States; Nationwide collective spearheading liberating, anti-oppressive learning across 23 U.S. states and empowering the narratives of impact-focused students and youth; Bridging 80+ partners from New York, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Washington DC, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut and California in anti-oppression educational programming; Promoting student collaboration with grassroots movements.
California Prisoner-Advocacy & Abolitionist Learning Series: Program of The Reclamation Project, leading with Decarcerate Sacramento and Elevate Youth California; Convened 100+ community members via policy advocacy trainings, issue workshops, public forums to mitigate California’s mass incarceration, establishing life-affirming resources for disproportionately-impacted, low-income neighborhoods of color and challenging the school-to-prison pipeline through civic engagement and leadership development for BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth.
Youth Healing Justice & Liberating Education Program: Youth-led public social justice workshops, socio-political curriculum, & community-based forums amplifying cross-cultural/cross-generational discussion & developing core points of youth advocacy; Community circles, peer-interactive lessons, & free yoga/wellness programs developed alongside decolonial practitioners of color healing marginalized youth from systems-related trauma & struggle; 850+ learners mentored, 25+ in-person events, 20+ organizations collaborated with across California.
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