Changeist Interview

Interviewer: Hi Una! Please, introduce yourself

My name is Una. I am 17 years old and live in Northeast L.A. I spent two years with Changeist, one year in middle school and one year as a sophomore in high school.

Interviewer:  You mentioned you currently live in El Sereno, but before lived in Boyle Heights. How do you identify with those neighborhoods?

Yeah, for sure! I was born in Puerto Rico and moved to L.A. when I was six. At first, I lived in Koreatown, and then we moved to Germany a year later. Then we moved back to L.A. and that's when I moved into Boyle Heights. Boyle Heights is where I've lived the longest in my life.

I've always identified with being from East L.A. more than being from El Sereno because I've just recently moved here. I can see how the kids and culture here are very different. So I've always identified more with Boyle Heights and being from East L.A. because everywhere else feels very different.

Interviewer:  What is something important for folks to know about you? 

I feel like one of the things to know about me is that I've lived in many different places.  I've been influenced by a lot of different cultures and that has led me to feel like I don't belong, especially in L.A. Many of my friends have never been out of the United States or even California. There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes people can be very close-minded. 

So I feel like because I have these different perspectives, I don't connect with people my age sometimes, but I think that that makes my relationships a lot more interesting. When people are accepting, it's a huge opportunity to learn things from each other and grow from those differences.

Interviewer: And what are some of your interests?

I'm very interested in social justice, which Changeist fueled. Before joining Changeist, I knew I wanted to go into law, but I didn't know that there were careers that had to do with the law outside of a courtroom, lawyers, and judges. 

And Changeist sparked this interest in social justice. We learned about redlining in my first year and that blew my mind. I was like, "Wow, these things happen and there's  a system in place that benefits certain people." More than anything, I'm very interested in how things work and getting to the root of things. I also like reading a lot and researching.

Yeah, I'm just curious! I'm also into roller skating, so that's fun too.

Interviewer: What’s something that has been giving you joy recently? 

Recently, my friends have been giving me a lot of joy just because we've all been very stressed out with school and stuff. And they're very optimistic and I tend to get a little bit stressed or sad. I get very quiet and stuff and my friends will notice that and be like, "Let's go out! Let's do something fun!"

So I appreciate that. I feel like I'm in a good place.  My friends and my family are very supportive of me and it makes me very happy.

Interviewer: How would you describe your first day at Changeist?

I would describe it as amazing! It was so much fun. I honestly think it was one of the most fun days of my life. I would say that with confidence.

Interviewer: Do you happen to remember what were some of your feelings and things you were hearing?

It was nerve-racking, but it was exciting to be interacting with people outside of my school and my age. I  remember thinking, "I hope I make some friends and I hope that I have a good time."

Interviewer: How would you describe the roller coaster of emotions that first day?

Well, I'm a very anxious person, especially in groups of people  I don't know. I knew I was going to be nervous and I was preparing myself to let myself be nervous, but not let it affect me as much. I remember just getting a feeling, like the sense of dread building the closer I got to Pershing Square. The closer I got to getting there, I just felt like, “Oh my God, I'm doing something I've never done before.”

I remember being nervous that they would accidentally place me with kids younger than me because I am very short. Back then, I looked a lot younger than I was. I made this fantasy in my head that somehow I'd get placed with a bunch of sixth graders and I'd have to tell them, “No, I'm not a sixth grader.”

And then, when I got there, it was fine. Everybody was nice and I could tell other people were also nervous and nobody was rude. After, I calmed down a little, and then there was the other nerve-racking moment of being put on your team.

It was just up and down, “I'm nervous. I'm happy. I'm nervous then I'm happy.” 

Interviewer: Do you remember what was said on your first day?

The first time I talked to our team leader, was also the first time I'd ever been asked my pronouns. It was a new thing and it was interesting because at the time I know my friends at school would have been uncomfortable by that question. They wouldn't have understood it. I felt immediately comfortable with the fact that everybody didn't think much of it. I was just like, “Oh, these are my pronouns, here is my name.”

Interviewer: Eighth grade is often a monumental year. How was it navigating life, school, family, and Changeist as an eighth grader?

It was difficult because my parents are very strict. 8th grade is a time when many are navigating change, but Changeist was my only time really to hang out with people my age outside of being at school. It was a little bit of my saving grace. I always looked forward to it and I feel that eighth grade was very important and shaped my life like it has a lot of other people.

I felt very grateful, but also a little bit like I missed out on certain things. I remember struggling with the fact that I didn't have that opportunity to spend time with people my age, but also still super grateful to Changeist and what it gave me. That opportunity and in a healthy space where I was not going to do anything crazy.

Interviewer: There is an aspect of Changeist where you can explore different parts of L.A. What was your understanding of Los Angeles before and after your first Changeist year? 

So my understanding of L.A. has always been shaped around East L.A. I remember this specific moment in class when my teacher asked us where North was just a year ago, and I instantly thought, okay, East L.A. is over there, so North is over there. My vision of L.A. has always centered around East L.A. I always know where East L.A. is compared to everything else.

When I'm not in East L.A., I feel out of place. I'd ask myself, “Where am I?” Changeist just helped me to become more comfortable with L.A. as a whole. For example, I had been to Skid Row before but had only driven past it. So I visited a lot of places that I had never been to before and I spent time in those places.

Changeist allowed me to see more of L.A. and learn more about the context of those places.  I remember I was also excited one day we were canvasing in my neighborhood. That was fun! 

I felt like an Angelino for the first time. Before I was always like, “I'm this immigrant who lives in East L.A.”, and “I'm not really from L.A.” and Changeist made me feel like I was part of something because I got to learn a lot more about the city and that allowed me to feel a sense of belonging.