Dear Friend,
In 2009, my family immigrated from the Philippines to the United States.Ā I was 12 years old then.Ā Two years later, by complete happenstance,Ā Peace Over Violence taught a class in my high school on the importance of healthy relationships and the opportunity for youth to change the world in leading the charge to unlearn violence.Ā As a young immigrant then, those lessons provided me with a world-view perspective; a calling that I could effectuate change.
Peace Over Violenceās programmingĀ led me to the Peace Over Violence Youth Leadership Institute where I learned why I should be an advocate, and how I can be an advocate for survivors and those in need. I also learned that violence, in a progressive and civilized society, has no place for solving disputes whether at home or elsewhere. Those lessons stayed with me, guiding me through college and law school and shaping how I approached challenges and opportunities.
Coming back as a lawyer in 2022, I reached out to Peace Over Violenceās CEO, Patti Giggans, to volunteer my legal services to advocate on behalf of survivors. But being an effective advocateāas Iāve learnedāalso means stepping into difficult and challenging leadership positions to ensure that Peace Over Violenceās mission continued. And so in 2023, I joined the Board of Directors for Peace Over Violence to see that goal to fruition: for Peace Over Violence to continue to train youth to lead progressive change in society, and for Peace Over Violence to continue to provide mission-critical services to survivors, women, and children in Los Angeles, California. Iām living proof of the impact they make, and Iām proud to ensure they continue changing lives, just as they changed mine.
