In honor of former Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) is continuing her legacy by hosting the 2nd Annual 30 Under 30 event. The goal of the 30 Under 30 Award Ceremony & Art Showcase is to honor the accomplishments of young adults 30 or younger who live or work in the 47th Assembly District.
“The 30 Under 30 event is a very special event for the 47th Assembly District. This event honors young adults in our district who continue to break down barriers for themselves and others,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “It is an honor to recognize such service driven young adults who work hard every day to give back to their community, whether it is through the arts, entrepreneurship or community activism. Congratulations to this year’s 30 Under 30.”
Over 80 nominations were received. “The process to select the 30 was difficult because there were so many extremely well qualified nominees. I am proud of the final selections,” said Assemblymember Reyes.
30 Under 30 Honorees
Alazzia Gaoay
Alazzia is a gifted photographer and artist who has applied those talents to make a real impact on the work accomplished at the Chamber of Commerce.
Anthony Victoria
Anthony Victoria is a former reporter for the Inland Empire Community News and newly-appointed Director of Communications at the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ).
Autumn E. Blackburn
Autumn volunteers at the House of Hope IE and continues to be a big advocate for women’s rights through Planned Parenthood.
Berenice Villa
She serves as a youth leader for Youth In Action, a youth ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, San Bernardino.
Charles “Silky Smooth” Harris
He competed and after 4 fights was crowned National Junior Olympic Champion leaving with the #1 ranking.
Destiny Muse
Destiny has been producing events for 3 years and recently launched an event company called “The Muse” which focuses on building individuals through artistic, entrepreneurial, and interpersonal growth.
Estefania Esparza
Estefania has volunteered with various community organizations throughout the Inland Empire. Her endless efforts have included volunteering with many non-profit organizations including Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC), Mi Familia Vota, El Sol Educational Community Center amongst others. Throughout her college years, Estefania was very closely involved with immigration work in the community. She assisted many people with DACA applications, as well as finding other resources for undocumented immigrants. Estefania just graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Cal State University of San Bernardino.
Francis Chavez
She now serves as the Political and Community Affairs Assistant at the Consulate of Guatemala in San Bernardino, fulfilling the needs of the local Guatemalan community.
Gary Walker
Gary now spends his time in the Inland Empire training and mentoring young athletes through his lifestyle brand athletic training company Get Your Mind Right.
Guadalupe Tellez
Last year she was involved in Assemblymember Reyes’ Young Legislator program. Her participation led to her advocacy for the Muscoy Sidewalks for Safety campaign.
Ivan Aguayo
Throughout his professional career, Ivan has mentored countless activists who have accepted positions in politics, community-based organizations, campaigns and elected offices.
Izaiah Frazier
Izaiah Frazier is a 14 year old TeenPreneur, and President of the Mini Mogul Club where he teaches monthly workshops like Instagram for Business, the Cash Flow Quadrant and golf.
James Albert
Currently, he is appointed to the Young Leaders Advisory Council of the South Coast Air Quality Management District and serves on the boards of the San Bernardino County Young Democrats and the League of Women Voters of the San Bernardino Area.
Janneth Milian
Janneth Milian is a current undergraduate student at California State University, San Bernardino, pursuing a degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Javier Hernandez
Currently, Javier is the Director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ICIJ), a regional coalition advancing immigrant rights in the Inland Empire.
Jennifer Xicara
Jennifer Xicara, 26 years old, Co-Founder and Program Manager of Akoma Unity Center (Akoma), which is located in San Bernardino, CA.
Jessica Gunawan
She volunteers with Justice Speaks, which is a non-profit organization advocating against human sex trafficking. With her new role and active volunteering service, Gunawan’s goal is to spark hope and spread love to those in need.
John Devine
John has worked with a number of organizations, including National Foster Youth Institute, Foster Club, Foster Youth in Action, and Foster Leaders Movement.
Jonathan Gonzalez-Montelongo
Jonathan Gonzalez-Montelongo serves as the Campus Tour and Events Coordinator at California State University, San Bernardino.
Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams wears numerous hats as a Certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach, Substitute Teacher, and a Mental Health practitioner.
Joseline Moran
Recently, Joseline helped organize a group called SOAR IE to bring sidewalks to schools in Muscoy. Her dedication led to bringing temporary safety infrastructure for the community to help get input for future grants.
Juan Villa
In his free time, he serves as the president of La Plaza/Ramona Neighborhood Association and youth leader for the Youth In Action ministry of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.
Lyzzeth Mendoza
Lyzzeth Mendoza has been active in immigrants’ rights and public policy advocacy for over 8 years.
Malek Bendelhoum
Malek Bendelhoum was raised in Moreno Valley, California. Currently Malek is Co-Founder at Sahaba Initiative and the Associate Director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.
Nia Bush
Nia Bush graduated from Spelman College in May 2017, Magna Cum Laude, with a degree in Philosophy and a minor in Comparative Women’s Studies. Because of Nia’s efforts, over 700 homeless individuals received food and basic necessity bags.
Nicholas Akingbemi
Nicholas is a police officer for the UCI police department and speaks at several college and high school campuses with a focus on mending the relationship between law enforcement and the general public.
Noah Asherbranner
Asherbranner recently graduated Grand Terrace High School (GTHS) where he served as the videographer and producer for the GTHS Girls’ Basketball team and an administrator for the community Facebook page.
Polet Milian
She chaired the 2018 Women’s Leadership conference inviting hundreds of faculty, staff and students together to celebrate and learn how to advocate on behalf of women leaders and how to become a woman leader in their family, community and organizations.
Sadie Albers
Ms. Albers is primarily responsible for developing and implementing communications and community engagement strategies, in order to enhance the department’s presence within the city. Sadie was a recent recipient of the “Shining Star-Emerging Leader” Award.
Yassi Kavezade
Yassi currently works as an organizing representative for My Generation. She and her team fight to build solutions for cleaner air and power that is rooted in justice across the district.