Lucinda is a senior at Aspire Lionel Wilson Prep, and she loves her school and is passionate about education. She has seen how Oakland public school students are performing in math and reading and she wants to use her voice to demand better. She calls herself an introvert, though, and gets nervous if the spotlight is on her a little too long.
Lucinda with school board president Sam Davis and other Youth Leaders
Lucinda is a senior at Aspire Lionel Wilson Prep, and she loves her school and is passionate about education. She has seen how Oakland public school students are performing in math and reading and she wants to use her voice to demand better. She calls herself an introvert, though, and gets nervous if the spotlight is on her a little too long.
This summer, Lucinda stretched herself and took action. She was one of 70 FIA youth and family leaders who participated in FIA’s Summer Leadership Institute.
“You should strive to be someone you want to be,” Lucinda said, quoting Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
During four sessions this summer, participants developed skills and relationships to disrupt the status quo and flip the script on Oakland’s student achievement data. They learned about the power of the school board and elected officials, where power comes from and how to collectively use power to impact academic achievement for Black and Brown students.
Student and family leaders also participated in a citywide “Lit Drop” – going door-to-door distributing information to 5,000 Oakland voters about the gaps and disparities in public schools students’ reading and math completion rates.
For Lucinda, participating in FIA leadership institutes has helped her find her voice. Before she didn’t know many people outside her school community but during the summer institute she was able to connect and build relationships with students and families from other schools.
“It’s a really nice community and we’re very close, like a family,” Lucinda said. “We’re all working towards the same goal.”
Lucinda got her courage up to knock on doors during the Lit Drop. She said though she was nervous it was important that more people are aware of Oakland public school data. Plus she had other FIA youth leaders there she was friends with to encourage and support her.
Empowered by the skills she developed during the institute, Lucinda has shown courage and led in different ways. She helped organize the FIA Oakland school board and city council candidate forum and stood in front of 250 people, asking candidates a question about the budget.
She also recently spoke about why she loves her school, and the importance of keeping it open, at her school’s charter renewal hearing with the OUSD school board.
Lucinda said it was intimidating to speak to the board, and she knew that certain board members would vote against renewing Lionel Wilson simply because it’s a charter school.
Lucinda also spoke to the school board about Measure QQ and the importance of the youth vote. Lucinda is a 17-year-old who will be voting for the first time this year. She is also participating in FIA’s youth vote campaign to register 1,000 16 and 17-year-old first-time voters this election.
“I didn’t know about this at all until I joined FIA,” Lucinda said. “It’s really cool, because now we have a voice in the election and can decide what school board members we want. Education is really important and we should have a say in choosing the people who will make big decisions about us.”
Lucinda said she’s excited about participating in the campaign and she’s looking forward to other actions she’ll take this year as a FIA youth leader, even if it means stretching herself out of her comfort zone a little bit.
“If I don’t feel uncomfortable, I can’t grow and it’s super important that I grow,” Lucinda said. “The nerves are there, but I’m slowly overcoming them.”
