How Andrea found her voice and is using it to serve her community.
Leadership begins with voice and grows through community
When Andrea first joined Y-WE in 2021, she was still finding her footing after the long isolation of the pandemic.
“I remember a mentor coming up to me and just asking how I was doing—and meaning it,” she shared. “That was the first time I realized this was a space where I could actually speak and be heard.”
Through programs like Y-WE Speak and Y-WE Grow, Andrea learned that leadership isn’t about being the loudest in the room. It’s about courage, care, and creating space for others to rise with you.
“I used to think leadership meant being loud or extroverted,” Andrea said. “Now I know it’s having the inner strength to use your voice and to uplift others in using theirs.”
Today, Andrea channels that strength into her work as an educator and community advocate. With degrees in culinary arts and English, she leads cooking workshops for Y-WE youth and co-founded an environmental justice nonprofit with friends and fellow Y-WE alumni.
Rooted in her South Park community, where access to fresh, culturally relevant food remains limited, Andrea envisions building a self-sustaining local food system that nourishes both people and connection.
“Fear is the killer of progress,” she says. “Practicing courage, especially in community, is what moves us forward.”
Your support helps young women like Andrea turn purpose into leadership and leadership into change.
P.S. 77¢ of every $1 goes directly to Y-WE programs that nurture belonging, healing, and advocacy.