“The trouble is that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And once you’ve seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There is no innocence. Either way, you’re accountable.” – Arundhati Roy
I am returning to school after 6 years of direct, on the job learning. Having committed to the nonprofit sector so early on, I learned that becoming a community leader takes much more than being able to accomplish a goal, it requires striving for personal mastery, being committed to honest self-reflection and constantly building relationships with others who can guide you back to the truth. I feel that I am an excellent candidate for the Mille nnium Mom entum Schola rship because I have the professional experience, the personal commitment and the academic values that represent the Best & Brightest.
I was initiated into community work as a high school participant of the Brothe rhood Sister hood Ca mp, a week-long human relations workshop developed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Nati onal Con ference of Commu nity and Jus tice. For 3 years, I learned facilitation and workshop presentation which inspired my commitment to youth advocacy. As a young person, poetry and art was a positive outlet to make sense of the world. It eventually compelled me to produce events for the purpose of building community. I found that in the exchange and discourse of performance, a new paradigm and culture was created that challenged the status quo of disconnection and hyper-individualism that I feel is a barrier to creating common ground. For me, art is political and an influential tool in affecting change. I invested 7 years in the Fe stival of Phil ippine Arts & Culture because it was a microcosm of the dialogue surrounding empowerment, equity, social construction and multiculturalism. Starting as a volunteer curator, I had the opportunity to eventually direct the Festival’s entire performance program of 75 acts over two days on two stages for 3 years. I accepted a full time position administering Eskuw ela Kult ura (an afterschool arts and cultural tolerance program) and Pil ipino Arti st Net work (a statewide infrastructure building group initiated by the Ca lifornia Arts Coun cil), integrating these with the Festival over the course of my 4 years at Fil AM AR TS.
Because I was one of two staff at Fil AM AR T S, I was challenged to take different roles that stretched my comfort zone and exponentially impacted my learning. In 2003, the State of Calif ornia nearly defunded the Califo rnia Ar ts Cou ncil, a highly politicized and controversial move because it had begun a process of redistributing its funds to more equitably represent the state’s population. The CA C funded almost 50 percent of the organization’s activities and without these funds the Festival was in danger of being closed regardless of the high marks from the Ci ty of L.A.’s Dep artment of Cult ural A ffairs and the vote of confidence of funders such as the Ford Foundation. This also meant that there would be cash flow problems that guaranteed consistently late pay. I stayed committed and volunteered for the Business and Marketing responsibilities of the Festival and raised 200% more earned income and expanded the audience to make up for the loss in grant revenue. Because of my efforts, the organization now only depends on government grants for 15% of its funding. Additionally, I co-produced 4 arts advocacy radio shows for Az iatik Ryt hms on KPF K 90.7FM in order to bring attention to the disproportionate effect that the funding cuts would have on ethnic communities in California.
While I was exploring how to build figurative community spaces, the chasm created by the politics of public spending deeply affected and inspired me to focus on financial sustainability. I sensed that there was a lot more to learn about how to affect real and sustainable change and it became imperative for me to go back to school, finish my degree and reconsider my professional goals. I explored various business models, obtaining a real estate sales license and instituted methods I learned to strengthen the Festival and build upon its existing assets and stakeholders. Academically, I chose the Pu blic Sect or Man agement program at C SU North ridge in order to demystify the public policy process through a combination of management, communications and political science courses that complemented my nonprofit career. Professionally, I felt it was time to explore how else I could be useful in pushing for social change and was fortunate to find a position that is the perfect convergence of my past experiences and future goals. I am currently a Program Manager for the nationally renowned Pu blic All ies Los An geles (PAL A) program, I am responsible for recruiting, managing and coaching emerging young adult leaders and building networks with partner organizations who share in our vision of social change. Through Publi c Alli es’ affiliate partner, Com munity Devel opment Techn ologies (C DTech), I am assisting the creation of a leadership development and nonprofit careers curriculum for 9th grade students in San tee H.S. Located in one of the most underserved areas in Los Angeles, Sa ntee students come from the historic Vern on Cen tral jazz corridor community. After I complete the PS M program, I eventually aim to get involved in the field of community economic development and continue on to a graduate degree in Urban Planning .
Being chosen for the Millen nium Momen tum Be st & Brig htest Sch olarship will directly contribute to my commitment to the community. While the Pu blic Secto r Ma nagement program affords me the benefits of a relevant education, the experience of seasoned public sector employees in my cohort, and a structure that enables me to stay committed to working in the community full time, it is more than twice the cost of the traditional tuition. Additionally, I’m raising a family with two toddlers on my single income, while my husband and I pursue full time degrees. Though I’ve always worked while going to school, the costs of raising a family has made us very dependent on student loans to finance my education. Besides helping to allay the cost of my program, being chosen as one of the Bes t & Bright est scholars would be a deep honor and vote of confidence for me.
