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After three and a half years with Californians for Justice, core intern Ariel is ready for the next phase of her life.

Raised by her grandparents, the values of community strength were instilled in Ariel at a young age. Her grandparents, her grandma from Arkansas and her grandpa from Mississippi, brought with them southern values, wisdom, and a deep sense of community that shaped Ariel into what she calls “an older soul.” By the time she was in the first grade, she was participating in local food drives and other programs to be an active part of her community.

As a freshman at Edison High School in Fresno, California, Ariel joined CFJ for the opportunity to advocate for students’ needs, be part of decision-making processes, and make a positive impact.

Through biweekly CFJ chapter meetings, Ariel learned about the political landscape and the history of racial and educational justice for Black and Brown communities.

“My main goals were to learn something and pass it on,” said Ariel. “With the current political landscape, the scariest thing is not knowing what’s going on, so knowing how bills are made, how policies work, and being able to educate my family is important to me.”

Her growing passion for the work led her to be accepted into CFJ’s Summer Youth Leadership Academy (SYLA). In the 2025-2026 school year, Ariel served as the chapter president at her high school campus, where one of her main goals was to bring students closer together and get them involved in core meetings.

“Meeting new people changes your perspective on life. I noticed everyone was separated with their own group of friends,” said Ariel. “I wanted to be a chapter president who united everyone.”

One issue that became central to Ariel’s advocacy work was mental health education. As a junior, she worked on a bill focused on bringing mental health education to K-12 classrooms, and the cause was deeply personal.

“I lost my friend last summer to suicide,” said Ariel. “Personally experiencing that, seeing people close to me lose their life to that, I just feel like it’s something that the community needs to wake up to. It always starts in the home.”

From helping organize a mental health education resource fair in Fresno to advocating at the Capitol, Ariel made it her mission to bring awareness to an issue she felt was being overlooked, especially for students.

One of her proudest moments came at Youth Capitol Power Day (YCPD) in Sacramento, where Ariel served as lead captain for her crew, advocating for ACA 7, a bill aimed at reversing the ban on Prop 209 to increase funding for Black and Brown students.

“I was the main facilitator for my crew, that was new for me,” said Ariel. “Being able to prepare myself and successfully facilitate meetings was a nice payoff of all my skills from freshman to senior year. I’m definitely proud of my full day there.”

Although she came in not knowing anyone, Ariel was able to forge lasting connections with like-minded students who encouraged her to come out of her shell and build a community she can carry with her. That growth didn’t happen overnight, and Ariel is the first to laugh about it.

“Everyone just assumed my name was Jordan,” she recalled, laughing. “I went like two weeks being called Jordan before I finally spoke up! Looking back I laugh because there’s no way I literally switched my name just because I didn’t wanna speak up. You’re fine!”

“It’s ok to be uncomfortable with a lot of things,” said Ariel. “I enjoy the expectations of becoming a better you, a better leader, getting out of your comfort zone, and learning new things. Just go in with an open mind, you can learn new things and new skills.”

Ariel knows the skills she’s built at CFJ will carry her far beyond high school. From understanding how policy works to developing critical analysis, credible research, public speaking, and learning to advocate for herself, CFJ has prepared her for what’s next.

After graduation, Ariel will attend Fresno State through the Launchpad program, majoring in biology and minoring in government. She also hopes to bring CFJ to the college campus and expand the organization’s reach to students beyond high school.

“By communicating and building community with others who have the same interests, we can see the different things that need to happen in the government with our schooling,” said Ariel. “No school is perfect: there’s always things that need to be done, and there has to be people who want to put in the time and work in.”