Vivian Valentine, PH.D

Vivian Valentin, Ph.D, is the co-founder and executive director of Kind Mind SB, working with communities to implement equity-based, trauma-informed mindfulness, compassion, nature-connection, and restorative practices that enhance learning, emotion regulation, relationships, and well-being for youth and adults. Vivian is a former cognitive neuroscientist, studying the mechanisms of learning, memory, awareness, and mindfulness. She has been practicing yoga and mindfulness since 1994, is certified to teach both, and leads a project on climate resilience for youth.  She develops mindfulness lessons through nature, music, art, movement, games and neuroscience. She supports educators and parents to practice mindfulness with children.

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Cheyenne Green

Cheyenne is a Graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and has worked with companies such as Disney Cruise Line, Pepsi, Honda, and Wells Fargo Bank. She currently teaches with Fostering Dreams Project, a non-profit that focuses on using performing arts to empower, educate, and inspire children in foster care.

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Payton Tovar

My name is Payton. I am in college and have one more semester left before graduating. I love sports, mostly football. I went to the World Cup, watched 32 of the 64 matches and embraced the sport with my whole heart. It’s made me a better person and has helped me overcome some adversity. I also love hockey, baseball and basketball, often going to those sporting events. I officiate in sports while in college to make money. Sports is a big part of who I am and how I helped cope with mental health struggles. I also love to cook, go to the gym, and stream on twitch and Youtube. I’m a very passionate person and associated with lots of positive things that make my life better and make me unique and a better person. Through these positive associations, I feel that I am becoming a better version of myself every day. My story is about mental health and the challenges and adversities I faced. Mental health is an important topic and one that I believe needs to be talked about and addressed more. Mental health is just as important as physical health, if not more important. Mental health is the mindset that leads to decisions, lifestyles, and habits that reflect you as a person.

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Angelina Leaños

Angelina Leaños is the 2021-2022 Ventura County Youth Poet Laureate and a student at California Lutheran University. In high school, she won the Poetry Out Loud competition at both the school and county levels and has since returned as a recitation coach for Ventura County. She is a board member for the Ventura County Arts Council and is also the youngest poet in California Poets in the Schools' history on their Board of Directors.

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Angelmarie Taylor 

Hello all! My name is Angelmarie Taylor, and I am a 4th-year business student at CSU Channel Islands. I am an organizer with Students for Quality Education (SQE), a statewide grassroots organization that advocates for student rights, labor rights, and human rights. In addition to advocacy, my work is centered around visibility and equity initiatives. Every step I take forward, I do so in a way that paves a bigger path for the youth behind me. I aim to use my epitomization as a source of inspiration for BIPOC folx, queer folx, and all those with marginalized identities. Especially when it revolves around issues that don't receive enough attention, such as mental health. My most recent involvement with Black Student Union (BSU) includes hosting the CSUCI Black Student Forum as a panelist for over 200 high school students speaking on the black experience on campus, and how to initiate change for the community. I am also a student leader with Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.) where I participated in Raza College Day and hosted “Activism: How to Make a Change” workshops for the youth we bring to the college atmosphere.

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Jesús Noyola

Jesús Noyola Rodríguez was born in Tierra Colorada, Cuajinicuilapa, Guerrero, Mexico. He is the eldest of eleven siblings and was born into a humble home, belonging to the Afro-Mexican third root on his father's side, who comes from the Costa Chica region of the State of Guerrero's Black Pearl. His maternal family descends from an indigenous community. Living in the Afro-Mexican community, he experienced economic hardships and discrimination at a very young age. At the age of nine, he started writing his first poems as a form of expression. Despite his aspirations to obtain a degree in law to advocate for injustices in his communities, he could not pursue it due to the lack of financial resources. In 1997, he migrated to the United States to Oxnard, California, where he got married and had four children. In 2015, he joined the Proyecto Mixteco (MICOP) community organization, where he began hosting a radio show and rediscovered his passion for literature and poetry. Known as "El Profe," he writes poems about domestic violence, patriarchy, education, discrimination, labor rights violations, gender equity, and social issues affecting his community in Ventura County. In 2021, he received the Golden Microphone from the National Association of Mexican Announcers for his outstanding career as a communicator with Afro-Indigenous roots.

Jesús Noyola Rodríguez nació en Tierra Colorada, Cuajinicuilapa, Guerrero, México. Es el mayor de once hermanos y nació en una casa humilde, perteneciente a la tercera raíz afro-mexicana por parte de su padre, quien proviene de la región de la Costa Chica de la Perla Negra del Estado de Guerrero. Su familia materna desciende de una comunidad indígena. Viviendo en la comunidad afro-mexicana, experimentó dificultades económicas y discriminación desde muy joven. A la edad de nueve años, comenzó a escribir sus primeros poemas como forma de expresión. A pesar de sus aspiraciones de obtener un título en derecho para abogar por las injusticias en sus comunidades, no pudo perseguirlo debido a la falta de recursos financieros. En 1997, emigró a los Estados Unidos a Oxnard, California, donde se casó y tuvo cuatro hijos. En 2015, se unió a la organización comunitaria Proyecto Mixteco (MICOP), donde comenzó a presentar un programa de radio y redescubrió su pasión por la literatura y la poesía. Conocido como "El Profe", escribe poemas sobre la violencia doméstica, el patriarcado, la educación, la discriminación, las violaciones de los derechos laborales, la equidad de género y los problemas sociales que afectan a su comunidad en el condado de Ventura. En 2021, recibió el Micrófono de Oro de la Asociación Nacional de Locutores de México por su destacada carrera como comunicador con raíces afro-indígenas.

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Alexa Margolis

Alexa is thrilled to sing at Empower Up for her second time. She has been performing since the age of five and has been in 19 musicals. Some of her favorite roles include: Edwina (Dear Edwina), Audrey (Descendants), Jane Banks (Mary Poppins), Sebastian (Little Mermaid) and Cogsworth (Beauty & the Beast). Alexa is proud to sing with 5-Star Theatricals at community events. She loves performing in Kritzerland cabaret shows and being a Conejo TV reporter. Alexa also enjoys hanging out with friends, dancing, and playing the piano & ukulele. 

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Simon Raul Reyes III 

Simon is a classically trained composer, pianist and bandleader. He has written and arranged for various organizations, including the Channel Islands Choral Association, Santa Paula High School, and Santa Paula Free Will Baptist Church, where he is the director of music. Simon currently sings with the Channel Islands Choral Association and has performed with them in Carnegie Hall. He has recently finished writing his first symphony

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Liv Hauser

Liv Houser has been interested in art ever since she was an infant. The first moment she remembers drawing was when she attended preschool and scribbled nonsense onto a bird-themed coloring book. Since then, she’s been exposed to media other than a barely sharpened crayola colored pencil and she's expanded her art style in many ways. Liv enjoys making pieces using digital tools, paint, colored pencil, watercolor, ink, and other sorts of media. She creates art based on her emotion. She has always struggled with social anxiety and has found it difficult to verbally express her feelings. Art is a way for her to express her emotions without having to verbally state anything which makes it such a massive part of her life. Within her community, she wants to share her art and become more a part of programs and opportunities. Over the past year, she has made a lot of progress with this. A mural that she designed is painted on a wall at the entrance of her school. She has also received awards locally. Mental health is very important to Liv, and she thinks art is a huge reason for that. Art is a way of expression. A lot of people use art to show the way they’re feeling instead of communicating it through words. This is why art has such an impact. Mental health is something that should be recognized, respected, and valued. She's had ups and downs with mental health and she knows how it feels to have sadness or anger pushed aside. Negative feelings are shamed upon when they in fact should be treated instead of ignored.

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Dance Trio - Kevin Holland

Kevin Holland is a dancer and choreographer born and raised in Ventura. Kevin’s passion for movement was sparked when he started aerial training in 2012, learning how to navigate various apparatus and condition the body. After being pushed by instructors to dance in college, he began to incorporate both dance and aerial into his training. Kevin gained experience in modern and jazz while dancing at Moorpark College and with Megill & Company. In 2022, his work “Go” was seen at the virtual ACDA Gala Concert and won 2nd in SALT’s SHAPE Adjudication Concert. Kevin graduated in the spring of 2022 from CSULB with a BFA in dance and has since been commissioned to make dance work for Nickerson-Rossi dance company in Palm Springs and Disco Riot in San Diego. Now, he dances with Keith Johnson & Dancers and DIAVOLO: Architecture in Motion’s show T.R.U.S.T. He’s also worked with dance artists Rebecca Lemme, Gracie Whyte, and Laura Berg.

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Dance Trio - Katrina Giannina

Katrina Giannini is a professional dancer from San Diego. She has competed with studios in many styles. Currently, Kat studies at CSULB as BFA in dance, and participates with the LBSU Dance team. She has performed in numerous CSULB dance concerts, with Kevin Holland, Andrew Vaca, Rebecca Lemme and others.

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Dance Trio - Madison Moura

Madison Moura is a professional dancer who recently completed a dance science degree from CSULB. She is currently freelancing in Southern California, including a mentorship with Andrew Vaca. Dancing since a very young age, she has found herself using dance as an emotional outlet, and craves sharing experiences through movement.

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Joci Scott

Joci Scott is an actress, singer, dancer, and content creator based in Los Angeles. She became paralyzed at 20 years old after sustaining a T12 spinal cord injury when her family survived a plane crash, and has adjusted to life with a disability.  Despite not seeing people using wheelchairs in her favorite movies and TV shows, Joci was determined to keep following her dream of being an actress. Her goals are to pursue acting and advocate for equal and authentic representation in entertainment for people with disabilities. She founded the Rollettes dance company and has been a dance team member since 2021, empowering women through dance and community. Recently, she married her high school sweetheart and accomplished her goal of walking down the aisle using orthotic leg braces. Joci was most recently seen as Ariel in “Smash or Pass” written for the 2023 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and is a finalist for the "Best Actor" award in the 2023 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.

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Brenda Santos

Hello, I'm Brenda Santos. I am a youth member with Tequio and I am from the Mixtec community. I don't speak a Mixtec language, but I would like to learn. I am in grade 9 attending OMCHS, Oxnard Middle College High School. In my free time I like to read biographies, thrillers, and romance. I also enjoy crocheting animals and gifts for my family and friends.

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Liseth Gabriel

Liseth Gabriel Rodríguez was born and raised in Zamora, Michoacán, México. They are an activist in Ventura County and also a member of the Tequio Youth Group from MICOP. They come from an immigrant and indigenous family of the Purépecha community. Like many, they have also struggled since they arrived in this country, especially due to the English language barrier, discrimination, and immigration status. They have been advocating for immigrant rights for approximately 6 years. Before becoming an activist, they also worked for a couple of years as a farmworker picking vegetables and fruits; now they are enrolled in college and would like to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice. Liseth is very grateful to be part of Tequio and hopes to continue fighting every day and contributing to the community, even if it is with small actions that will make big changes.

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Rianny Vasquez

Hi! My name is Rianny Vasquez and I am a performing artist! Some of my favorite credits include The Addams Family with 5 Star Theatricals, being the MC for my senior year dance showcase, and playing Jan in La Mirada Theatre’s most recent production of Grease! Not only do I have a strong passion for performing, I am also an advocate for the arts and mental health awareness/wellness. Though I believe there should be a conversation about mental health and wellness amongst all ages, I wholeheartedly believe it’s especially important amongst our youth and young adults. Being a youth, or more so youth adjacent, I have experienced how impactful the arts have been on my mental health and wellness journey. Not only did the arts help me escape the fears and anxieties I still face on a day to day basis, but they also helped me face them, nurture them as well as accept them. It’s important as just human beings that we accept ourselves for who we truly are inside and out. And even if you feel you may not know exactly who that is just yet; it’s okay whether full grown adults like to admit it, we’re all still kinda there with ya, conversations and events like this, discussing and opening up about mental health awareness are the greatest steps to not only finding your truest self, but loving them too.

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Kaelia Ingram

Kaelia Ingram is an accomplished actress, vocalist, and public speaker. Non-verbal for much of her young life and diagnosed autistic at 15 months, Kaelia has overcome countless obstacles to get where she is today! As a proud advocate for the neuro-diverse community, Kaelia has spoken at numerous events including a special engagement at The Reagan Library.  Most recently, she performed in Disney’s Descendants, The Little Mermaid, Paulie’s Picnic, and Christmas Magic, and was Assistant Director for West Side Story. She hopes to inspire people to embrace diversity to build a stronger, more connected community.

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