As the current executive director, I understand that our community's voices, cultural strengths, values, and experiences are crucial to our mission and vision. As a first-generation Latina individual who migrated from Mexico and grew up in the United States, I have firsthand experience with the struggles of accessing resources and navigating complex systems. My lived experiences inform how I approach my community work, and I firmly believe in Glenn Martin's words that "people who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution." Everything we do is informed by working with and listening to our community. We engage with them, invite them to our programming, sit with them, listen to what they have to say, and pay attention to their needs and reported trends, focusing on equity. This helps us create programming that fulfills their needs and think about recommendations that can begin to change systems. We provide immediate support through our programming as we strengthen their education and self-advocacy, help them continue learning on their own, and take their mental health on their terms. As a social entrepreneur that believes in strengthening our community's self-advocacy regarding systems change, I am always ensuring that our work doesn't stop at our organization and that we can continue serving, inspiring, and facilitating more processes so that other partners can continue helping more people than the ones we serve. We recognize that we can't do this alone and that working together is one way to change systems for everyone. Our communities have so much to offer, and reject the deficit mindset. Instead, we focus on our cultural strengths and work with our communities to awaken the leaders within them, empower their voices, and use their experiences as the power to advocate for happier and healthier lives, not only for themselves but for others. We cannot exist without them, and our ultimate goal is to help them achieve their dreams and empower their voices