20 Years of Gender Justice LA!

In partnership with UCLA Labor & UCLA Dream Resource Center, we host Dream Fellows during the summer. Each year, the UCLA Labor Center & UCLA Dream Resource Center hosts the Dream Summer, which is a fellowship program that seeks to empower #immigrant youth to become the next generation of social justice leaders, create safe and healing spaces for immigrant youth, and promote an intersectional, cross-racial, and multi-generational approach to social justice. Participants are placed in social justice organizations for 10 weeks and work closely with their host organization to incorporate and strengthen the inclusion of #undocumented immigrant issues in conjunction with the organization’s social justice work. Dream Summer participants receive a $5,000 leadership award. 

This summer we welcomed two amazing Dream Fellows: Christian Espinoza, and Dafne Valenciano Coronado.

They worked closely with us on campaigns like #Food4All, helping create resource guides and rapid response around #ReproductiveJustice, and helping promote #COVID19 resources to our TGNC communities.  

DREAM FELLOWS 2022: 

Christian Espinoza: GJLA’s Dream Fellow

Christian (pronouns: he/him/they) is originally from Michoacan, Mexico. He transferred to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and completed his B.A. in Sociology and Computing. They also hold a Master's in Higher Education-Student Affairs from University of Redlands. They have participated in campus activism, sharing and advocating for resources in the Inland Empire, and performing college presentations at local high schools and community colleges for undocumented and LGBTQ students. Christian enjoys hiking, camping, cycling -- pretty much anything outdoors! When not outdoors, Christian is journaling, working, cooking (specializes in coconut curry), on FaceTime with friends, or sleeping. They hope to continue onto a Ph.D. in Education Policy in the near future.

Dafne Valenciano Coronado (she/they) is an upcoming sophomore at Dartmouth college and focus on social advocacy in their home city, Los Angeles. As a UCLA Dream Summer intern at GJLA they hope to create resources that will help make advocacy accessible to folks with disabilities and immigrants who might experience gender issues. Fun Fact: their favorite croc jibbitz that they own is the Powerpuff girl trio. What does gender justice mean to Dafne? It means focusing on equity for women, non-binary, and transgender folks that continue to be vulnerable communities affected by structural, institutional, and social issues. It means being able to choose to express yourself, regardless of what gender you are, without fear of being minimized. It means having more representation and access to care.