My name is Jordan Paran and I am going to be a senior at Notre Dame HS this upcoming school year. Being mixed, there are many different aspects that I believe have shaped me, not only culturally, but by the encounters I have had and the perspective on things by people around me. Living and going to school in Santa Clara County all my life has given me the ability to grow up with a diverse upbringing.

Because of that, I have had access to numerous opportunities that I have used to educate and improve myself into becoming a leader in my community.

In 2018, I attended a Georgetown University Law immersion in Washington DC which curated my interest in law, specifically Criminal Law. During this program, I took part in a mock trial at Superior Court, the Fourth Circuit.

In 2019, I attended the Pre-College program at Harvard University and studied in Cambridge to learn more about Criminal Law. During my two weeks there, I learned from various Harvard professors and attended lectures from teachers which varied in several subjects.

So far in high school I have held numerous leadership positions which include:

- Student Affairs Board Member, which dealt with student relations and representation to administration.

- Student Ambassador, which dealt with representing the school to potential students and parents.

- BSU Vice President, which worked closely with black students, parents, and administrations

- JW House Board, Secretary, which is a Kaiser Sponsored home for families undergoing treatments who cannot afford room/board.

- Martin Luther King Library Tutor, where I tutored elementary school kids from kindergarten to fifth grade.

With these leadership positions, I always felt sidelined because of my skin color and experienced racism because of my achievements from my counterparts. I wondered why there were so little students that looked like me in the activities I pursued. I began to work closely with a mentor because I wanted to create opportunities for black students in Santa Clara and to connect with peers who are experiencing the same issues as me.

The Brave Space to me is a place that black and African American identifying students and adults can be heard and listened to.

Josiah Cannon is a recent graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory (‘20). He will be attending UC Santa Cruz in the Fall of 2020. Josiah plans to double major in Linguistics and Theater with the intent of going on to Graduate School for Speech Language Pathology. He is the Outreach Coordinator for Brave Space and one of the student leaders as well. Within Brave Space, Josiah has appreciated the positive impact it has had on his relationships with other black students as well as his inner identity. Having the opportunity to connect with other bright black leaders that share similar backgrounds and stories was very affirming to him, and inspired him to stay connected and get more involved with the program.

Josiah has a lot of experience volunteering and working with individuals with disabilities. He had a life changing experience in 2018 during a two week service-learning trip in South Africa where he realized the importance and human connection and empathy, while learning about Social Justice issues, Apartheid and working with children with disabilities. In 2019 he was also deeply moved by his service trip to Los Angeles and was able to learn from homeless advocates and those who help with other issues that plague the inner city. Josiah has also served his community locally providing tutoring for low income students and also volunteered with organizations that serve the disabled community, such as the Morgan Autism Center and Via West Services. Via West appreciated his care with their community and they offered him a job for the summer, however, due to COVID, Via West had to shut their services down.

Josiah was fortunate to be named a Stanford Horizon Scholar in 2019, a Greene Scholars Member from 4th grade through 12th grade and he was awarded the Bellarmine Theater Arts Award in 2020 as well as recognized by The Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators in the Fine Arts/Talent category in May of 2020.

He hopes that through his work, whether artistic or conventional, he can help spread much joy to others.

Shay Franco-Clausen is a fierce, strong, dynamic powerhouse, works tirelessly to create a voice of the voiceless in Santa Clara County. community organizer for the last 15 years, leading community cleanups beach and creek cleanups, advocating for environmental social justice, mentoring youth, advocating for justice-involved women and girls, and running political campaigns.

Shay's passion is shown in her undeniable advocacy and leadership, as she creates strong comprehensive legislation for marginalized and oppressed communities. He advocacy was instrumental in two California legislation victories; Senate Bill 273, Authored Senator Susan Rubio, "Expanding the Statute of Limitations on felony Domestic Violence" and protecting 1,000 acres of California's most threatened pieces of land in Coyote Valley.

Shay is elected to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Director of Gender and Equity for the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee, Adult Advisor for California High School Democrats, Chair of the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women, Chair of the Justice and Advocacy Committee, Board Member and Chair of the San Jose Evergreen Bond Oversight Committee and Board Member Save By Nature. Shay is also a mother of five children with her wife and a local Bay Area DJ.

Roshad was born and raised in Oakland California and graduated from Castlemont High School in 1992. He went on the City College of San Francisco where he continued his studies and played football. Roshad transitioned from student to the workforce and started his career in the telecommunication industry with TCI (currently Comcast) in San Jose and is the Director of Field Operations covering cities from Monterey to Mountain View. Roshad completed his education in 2013 earning his Bachelor of Science in Business, is a mentor people of color, and is proud to be a member of Brave Spaces. Roshad is a “Girl Dad” to four daughters, a husband, and loves Bay Area sports.