Nominated by Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares

Aura Elizabeth Aguirre gives all glory to God. Her life and career are rooted in a passion for serving others—a calling that led her to originally attend Bible college and dedicate 15 years to the faith-based nonprofit world. She continues to serve in that space today, staying closely connected to her ministry roots while expanding her impact professionally.

With a heart for people and a desire to create meaningful change, Aura earned her degree in Social Work with a minor in Psychology from Liberty University.

Professionally, she serves as the Assistant Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at a financial institution that provides trusted financial resources to individuals and families throughout the community. Her leadership style is grounded in the principles of servant leadership and she is known for cultivating strong partnerships that uplift and empower others.

As a first-generation Latina, Aura understands the significance of representation, opportunity, and the responsibility to pave the way for others. Her mother, an immigrant from Guatemala, modeled an unshakable work ethic and resilience—lessons that deeply shaped Aura’s values and continue to guide her every step.

She has been married for 15 years and is the proud mother of three children. Aura is passionate about connecting people, building bridges across her community, and proudly serving the Antelope Valley with purpose, faith, and heart.

Nominated by Assemblymember Anamarie Avila Farias

Nominated by Senator Anna Caballero

Claudia Castorena Castro, Vice President for Binational of Central California, has been marked by her exceptional management of event coordination, staff supervision, and leadership. A Juarez, Mexico native, who relocated to Fresno at 12 years old, Claudia is not only a dedicated mother (formerly a single mother) and wife, but also a prior beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Claudia was crucial in establishing the Jump into English program in various communities, including Fresno, Tranquility, San Diego, and Farmersville. Additionally, she has facilitated computer literacy classes for seniors, enhancing their digital engagement.

Claudia is the mother of Binational, having started the organization out of her garage, alongside her husband. Though it originally began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing COVID-19 testing, PPE distribution, and education, it has since expanded to provide community members with public benefit enrollments, workforce development opportunities, digital, financial, and ESL education, and other outreach efforts.

Over the past two years with Binational and after her personal journey and health diagnosis of Systemic Scleroderma, Claudia has shared her story and successfully promoted mental health awareness by creating a pilot program called “Té de Terapias”, along with her therapist, Fabiola Macias, and two friends who have helped guide, brainstorm, and encourage her with tools and strategies to develop this pilot program. Seeing the dire need and the positive reception to address mental health disparities, Claudia, along with Fabiola Macias, self-funded Zoom sessions with therapists from Mexico at a low cost, for community members, nationwide. This initiative was later funded by Binational. Currently, Binational counts with the HEAR US funding from the Sierra Health Foundation, which allowing the agency to provide the pilot program on a local, larger scale, with the support of the Fresno Family Counseling Center and Maira Hernandez, a family therapist.

Claudia believes mental health is the solution to various health disparities, often leaning on her personal experience to break the stigma in our community, as well as educating her own family, by leading by example. It’s not easy being a working mom and wife. Claudia has lived and understands all too well, the challenges women face in the workplace – gender bias, discrimination, and lack of equal opportunities, and how that can significantly contribute to health disparities. She is a firm believer in being a student of life and that the road to healing begins with a single step.

Nominated by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo

Rocio Castellanos is a dedicated public servant with over a decade of experience in community advocacy and public service in the Antelope Valley.

Currently serving as Deputy Mayor of Community Engagement for the City of Lancaster, Castellanos focuses on building strong relationships between city leadership and local residents. Her work ensures that policies are responsive to the needs of Lancaster’s diverse communities.

She is also the President of Latinos Demócratas Unidos, where she leads efforts to increase Latino civic engagement, voter education, and representation at all levels of government. In addition, she serves as a delegate for the Democratic Party’s 34th District, advocating for progressive policies that support working families and underserved populations.

Castellanos has held impactful roles in several community organizations, including the Antelope Valley Homeless Coalition and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where she served as Director. She has helped shape initiatives around affordable housing, healthcare access, and social equity.

In her current professional role, she manages the L.A. Care and Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center in Palmdale—part of a countywide network that provides free health and wellness services. She oversees programs that promote physical and mental health, health education, and community support throughout the Antelope Valley.

A proud resident of Lancaster for more than 20 years, Castellanos holds a Sociology degree from California State University, Northridge. She is also a graduate of several leadership programs and has received multiple awards for her tireless advocacy and community impact.

Nominated by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez

Veronica De Lara was born and raised in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. She is the eldest daughter of immigrant parents and proud of her Mexican and Guatemalan roots. She is a champion for working families as well as a leader in her community and has over ten years of experience working in the public sector alongside community members at the grassroots level.

Veronica is currently a Senior Political Organizer at SEIU United Service Workers West, statewide labor union that represents over 50,000 workers across industries like janitorial, security officers, airport service workers security, other property service workers across the State of California.

She has spearhead USWW’s environmental justice campaign that prioritized airport workers rights and fought for environmental protections intersecting the labor and environmental justice movements. She organized and mobilized community members, elected officials, and airport workers to fight for a more sustainable airport at LAX. LAX will establish 21st-century standards that require airlines to reach zero emission electric equipment and vehicles, reduce transportation costs while improving transit choice, and strengthen worker protections and safeguards.

Most recently, she is advocating for working-class families by passing policies that will protect those who are most vulnerable. She is fighting for fair wages and healthcare coverage for airports and hotel workers in the City of Los Angeles. This policy would expand the health benefits requirement to catch up with rising healthcare costs and ensure quality coverage for workers and their families in the City of Los Angeles.

In the San Fernando Valley, Veronica focuses on educating, organizing, and promoting civic engagement among young people through the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats where she served on an all women board as Vice President. During her Vice Presidency, Veronica has focused on highlighting and uplifting community based organizations that bring resources to our communities. In addition, she serves as a member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party where she is a part of the labor committee. She is also an active member of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley.

Veronica is deeply involved in the community. She serves as a long time member of the Cesar Chavez Commemorative Committee of the SFV. Through this committee, Veronica has organized over six annual local marches to honor the legacy of civil rights and labor movement leader Cesar E Chavez.

Beyond her professional role, Veronica sits on the Board of Directors for two non-profit organizations, Alcohol Justice and Pueblo y Salud, Inc., which focus on advocating for public health and social justice-informed policies that address the health disparities in communities of color.
Veronica’s educational journey includes earning a Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University of Los Angeles (CalStateLA) as well as three Bachelors of Arts degrees from the University of California, Davis (UCDavis).

Nominated by Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas

Jackie Cruz, Ed.D. is Vice President of Advancement at Hartnell College and Executive Director of the Hartnell College Foundation. Jackie is the architect of the Foundation’s Advancement and Foundation Team, which includes resource development, alumni relations, government relations, industry, education, and municipality partnerships. Jackie’s passion stems from her life experiences and commitment to supporting youth and women’s economic prosperity.
She has worked at Hartnell for almost 16 years, with previous work at United Way of Monterey County for a decade. During her tenure at Hartnell, she has led two comprehensive campaigns, five capital campaigns, and a bond campaign. She has worked with the foundation’s board and college leadership to build vibrant relationships with local industry and create new partnerships with key foundations, bringing resources to close equity gaps in the Salinas Valley community, increasing higher education attainment, and supporting workforce initiatives through current and new programs and facilities for students. Jackie holds an associate’s degree from Hartnell College, a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Chapman University, and a doctorate from the University of Southern California. She is also a great advocate for children and youth. Jackie serves as the Board Chair of The Digital NEST and serves on the Rancho Cielo Board and the executive board of the Network for California Community College Foundations. She is a mom to three young girls and one son. She loves to play soccer and has transferred that passion for the sport to her children. In addition to her already busy life, Jackie is an entrepreneur. In 2020, she founded Love Magnet Cosmetics and Kass & Ky Co., a beauty company named after two of her daughters, and People of Philanthropy, Inc., a consulting company supporting small to medium-sized non-profits.

Nominated by Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria

Jasmine Ibal-Nolasco is a dedicated advocate for education and community empowerment from Kerman, California. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a Master’s in Communication. With a strong background in higher education, Jasmine is passionate about fostering opportunities for underserved populations. She is the founder of Los Olvidados Initiative, a nonprofit organization focused on uplifting and supporting rural communities through service, advocacy, and outreach.

Nominated by Assemblymember Mia Bonta

Maciel Jacques is a proud Oakland-born and raised community advocate with over 20 years of experience fighting for immigrant rights and social justice. As Deputy Director at Centro Legal de la Raza, she helps lead organizational efforts to provide high-quality legal services, advocacy, and community education to immigrants across Northern and Central California.

A lifelong champion for her community, Maciel has helped develop rapid response networks like Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership and Stand Together Contra Costa to protect immigrant families from detention and deportation. Through her work, she continues to fight for the dignity, empowerment, and protection of immigrant communities, grounded in her deep commitment to Oakland and the broader community.

Nominated by Senator Lena Gonzalez

Ellie Perez, a native of Southern California and the daughter of Mexican immigrants, has emerged as a formidable voice of resilience and advocacy. Initially marked by rejection and discrimination within an evangelical church community, her journey paved the way for a deep-seated commitment to championing marginalized voices.

Responding to adversity with action, Ellie joined the Courage Campaign to oppose Proposition 8, utilizing her experiences to inspire the LGBTQ community toward visibility and resistance despite the proposition’s passage. Her early involvement with the Latino Equality Alliance amplified her impact, directly benefiting LGBTQ Latino families in East LA through innovative outreach and storytelling, helping build the foundation for one of the largest LGBTQ Latino-focused organizations in the United States.

The personal became political when Ellie’s teenage child came out as transgender. This spurred her into even more fervent advocacy for transgender youth support in both medical and social spaces.

Ellie’s entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to community upliftment were unmistakably evident in her response to the arson of the Pride Lifeguard Tower in Long Beach. She spearheaded the Safe Spaces Alliance Long Beach City initiative to establish safe spaces for the queer community, proving her leadership and commitment to safety and inclusivity.

Now, as the Executive Director of the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach and a pioneering former member of the LA County LGBTQ+ Commission, Ellie Perez stands as a pivotal figure advocating for comprehensive support and connectivity for LGBTQ residents. Her mantra, “You never lose what you give away,” symbolizes the endless cycle of generosity and community support that defines her work.

Nominated by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez

Angelica Salas is an immigrant from Durango, Mexico.  She came to the United States as a child to reunite with her parents, who came to provide a better life for their family.  Angelica comes to her understanding of immigrants and immigration first hand, she and her entire family lived in the country undocumented, experienced deportation, and were able to legalize their status.  In 2008, Angelica became a U.S. citizen.  She makes Pasadena, California her home, the first city she arrived at as a child.  She is married to Mayron Payes, an immigrant from El Salvador, and has two children Ruben and Maya Payes.

Angelica joined CHIRLA in 1995 and became CHIRLA’s Executive Director in 1999.  In her role, she has transformed CHIRLA into a mass membership immigrant-led organization that empowers immigrants and their families to win local, state, and national policies that advance their human, civil, and labor rights.  She has grown CHIRLA into one of the nation’s largest and most effective immigrant rights organizations that organize, advocates, educates, and provides legal services to all immigrants. She has spearheaded ambitious statewide and national campaigns to expand immigrant rights. She has helped found organizations and coalitions to advocate for immigrant workers, youth, and families.  Among her achievements include: winning in-state, financial aid and grant programs for California’s undocumented students, establishing day-laborer centers that become national models, winning drivers’ licenses for undocumented drivers, decoupling local police departments from immigration enforcement, expanding access to immigrant legal services and winning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Angelica is a state and national leader in the advocacy for immigration reform and immigrant justice.  She was instrumental in the formation of and serves on the Executive Committee of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), two of the country’s largest immigrant rights coalitions.

Angelica is a recognized grassroots leader that plays a national leadership role in all major immigration reform campaigns. She serves as a national spokesperson for immigrant communities and immigrant rights campaigns. Angelica has sought expert responses from Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Univision. Telemundo, NPR, etc. Recently, Angelica’s work led to the House of Representatives passage of the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, a bill to give people with DACA and TPS a path to citizenship.

She graduated from Occidental College with a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Sociology in 1993.  In 2007, Occidental College awarded her an Honorary Doctorate for her many contributions making her one of the youngest persons to earn such an honor in the college’s history.

Nominated by Eloise Gomez Reyes

Dr. Alexandra Lopez Vera is an Assistant Professor of Medical Education and the Director of the Vida Medical Spanish program at the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM). She designed and leads the first mandatory Medical Spanish program in California and the second in the nation, integrating language and cultural training across the system-based medical curriculum. Dr. Lopez Vera earned her Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics from UC Santa Barbara and holds an MPH from Claremont Graduate University, where she is currently completing a Doctor of Public Health. Her work focuses on preparing future physicians to serve Spanish-speaking communities with linguistic and cultural competence, while advancing models that promote healthcare equity and reduce disparities in underserved populations