I am a senior in high school in the heart of the real San Francisco, where you can hear multiple languages being spoken, old people collecting cans, and kids shouting while they shortcut through alleyways. I love to engage with students and teacher to learn more about how I can play a part in building community wherever I am. I started Firecracker Youth as a way to help underserved ambitious young people like us to successfully navigate the path to higher education.

As a first-generation college student, I understand the challenges faced by others in similar positions. I joined Firecracker Youth in hopes of supporting and empowering others like myself in their educational journeys. During my free time, I enjoy playing table tennis with my family and hanging out with friends.

I grew up in the Oceanview district of San Francisco playing at Minnie & Lovie Rec. Center and Balboa Park. 

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Growing up with immigrant parents, I understand the struggle that they had to face and the difficulties of achieving higher education, especially when you have no mentor to guide you through the college process. By joining Firecracker, I hope to guide disadvantaged students in their pursuit of higher education by teaching them the necessary skills and knowledge.

I grew up in the Excelsior, frequenting the playgrounds and public library. Growing up I looked to my siblings for homework help and how to navigate an academic environment, but they had no one. Without the support of college access resources, none of us would be going to college. I, like many others, will never be able to ask my parents about “the college experience”. They have sacrificed so much to provide my siblings and I a stable life with the opportunity to pursue more. They opened a door for my future that had been closed to them.

Growing up in Chinatown, I had limited resources and support from my family regarding college access. My mother received education up to high school and my father only received a middle school education. As the only English speakers in our family, my sister and I had to be our family’s translators, navigating school while filing important documents at a young age. Without the support and resources provided by our community in Chinatown, my sister and I would not be going to college today.

From the local family businesses that feed our residents to the various organizations dedicated to uplifting our community members in desperate need, those with low-income backgrounds have always been those to give the most to low-income people. For this reason, I am excited and proud to be involved with Firecracker Youth. By providing college access resources to our future generation of community members, I am finally giving back to the community that has given me everything.