The Road Map Youth Storytellers Project aims to hire, train, and collaborate with South King County and South Seattle youth as expert consultants for communications projects, to engage them in anti-racist education work, and to resource them to elevate their own stories and their community stories.
To change our inequitable education system, we need to focus on our students’ experiences in their schools. Young people are experts in their own experiences, and Road Map Project students of color are the ones who are most directly impacted by education inequity in our region. To center community and lead with race, we need to reimagine who “experts” are, resource young people of color to own their stories, and follow their visions of transformation.
Meet the summer 2021 inaugural cohort of Road Map Project Storytellers
ADAR ABDI
Adar is a sophomore at Evergreen High School (Highline Public Schools). She really likes to read fantasy books! She is super into political dramas like Scandal. She stands for liberation of all marginalized communities and hope to bring empathy and compassion to the Youth Storytellers Project.
ERANDI FLORES-BUCIO
Erandi is a P’urhepecha youth from South King County. She graduated from Auburn School District and co-founded Youth United. Erandi is currently a student at UW-Tacoma and a community organizer committed to empowering other youth, uplifting Indigenous people’s voices, and being in solidarity with community-led demands for social justice.
NURHALIZA MOHAMATH
Nurhaliza Mohamath is a Sociology, Economics and Business Administration student at Mills College and is on the road to completing her MBA. She is pursuing her studies in hopes of promoting socioeconomic development in her respective South Seattle and Oakland communities with a passion for uplifting BIPOC-owned local businesses and BIPOC youth.
SAVANNAH BLACKWELL
Savannah is a senior at Franklin High School (Seattle) and will attend Howard University in the fall. She is passionate about the performing arts and doing the work to support and uplift her community. Savannah is committed to antiracist practices and the use of music and arts in deconstructing colonial ideals. She hopes to continue this work for years to come and connect with others in the process.
SOPHIA VAZQUEZ
Sophia is a third-year student at the University of Washington, and a graduate of Federal Way Public Schools. She is committed to understanding and addressing systemic barriers impacting youth and communities, within education and beyond. Her goal is to gain experience in various kinds of media production and advocacy, and explore a blend of both in children’s entertainment and education.
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