Maricruz Badia is a 27 years old resident of Hunts Point and mother of a 2 year old son, Omar Hassan. She has worked as a community organizer and supporting the leadership development of youth in New York City for the past 6 years. She is highly committed to supporting the creation of meaningful spaces and opportunities that empower and include youth in the decision making and leadership of social justice movements. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She moved to Massachusetts when she was 16 to attend college at the UMass Amherst. Currently consults with different projects conducting community outreach, planning events, and facilitating leadership development trainings.
Keisha Smith is a 29 year old who became a mother at the age of 17. Even with the many barriers and difficulties she faced being a teen mother she managed to obtain her G.E.D and later attained her Bachelors Degree in Liberal Arts at The College of New Rochelle. She is currently working towards achieving her Masters in Public Administration at Metropolitan College of New York. She was born in North Carolina and later moved to Queens, NY where her mother raised her and her brother. She works at an organization in Queens called No Doubt, Inc. a not-for-profit organization that works with minority high school students with academic and social guidance. Keisha experiences have given her the drive to work with teens to help them cultivate into responsible adults.
