Our Team
Kaelyn Sarmiento (She/Her/Hers)
kssarmie@ucsc.edu
Kaelyn is a third-year undergraduate student from San Diego majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and a minor in GISES. She believes in the importance of empowerment through education as she has experienced this first-hand throughout her education at UC Santa Cruz. She has spent a lot of time working with younger kids and understands the positive impact of formulating a strong connection and establishing trust with youth. In YEI, she hopes to bring her energy to the camp and build a YEI family where everyone feels accepted, included, understood, and heard. Kaelyn believes there is always room to learn something new and grow from it, and she is excited to have the chance to empower young women and become empowered by them.
Sandy Chung (She/Hers)
Sandy is a second year undergraduate from San Lorenzo majoring in Sociology with a concentration of GISES and minoring in Economics. She is a heavy believer in women empowerment as she attended Girls Who Code (a program similar to YEI involving tech tools). Her hobbies includes bowling, hiking, and chasing sunsets. She is beyond excited to be leading the online camp with her team and hopes to be a mentor/sister figure for YEI participants beyond the camp.
Cameron Daniel (He/Him/His)
Cahdanie@ucsc.edu
Cameron is a third year transfer student from Inglewood California majoring in Sociology with a GISES intensive concentration and minoring in education. His goal is to help increase the outreach of YEI. Some of his core values are integrity and perseverance. Cameron has previously worked for an after school tutoring program with elementary school aged children and plans to bring his prior mentor experience to the YEI team. Coming from an underserved community he understands the importance of free programs like YEI.
Samantha Ortega (She/Her/Hers)
sortega3@ucsc.edu
Samantha is a third year transfer student from Oakland, California majoring in Sociology with a GISES intensive concentration & is minoring in legal studies. Her goal is to create a space where youth feel accepted, safe and welcomed. Her core values are compassion and honesty. Samantha has experience working with middle/high school aged girls and is excited to bring her youth development skills to YEI. Samantha understands how important it is to expose youth to new experiences especially when lack of accessibility is a constant issue in underserved communities.
Valeria Mena (She/Her/Hers)
vsmena@ucsc.edu
Valeria is a third year undergraduate, she lived most of her life in Southeast Los Angeles with portions in Fresno, California. Valeria is majoring in Sociology with a GISES intensive concentration & is minoring in education. She has experience working with nonprofits and student organizations where she was able to help organize events and discussions while encouraging people to find their voice and use it for what they stand for. She understands how difficult it is to be in these girls positions and wants to be a resource to everyone participating in YEI.