Astrid Morales
she/her
Astrid is a first generation Latina, whose parents immigrated from El Salvador and Guatemala to provide her with a better future. She grew up in South Gate, California and always found ways to get out of the city to explore new ones. Starting at 14 years old, she became an active volunteer at the Compton Initiative, American Red Cross, Heal the Bay, the Salvation Army and other small projects. Her passion for social justice emerged when she was invited to the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference. That amazing experience taught her that there were other students of color who wanted to get out of their community and take space in places where they aren't present.
After graduating from South East High School, she attended UC Merced and earned her BA in Political Science. In her time at UC Merced, Astrid was the President for the UC Merced Cheer team, volunteered for Rock the Vote and the Early Childhood Education Center on campus, and was also the Campus Unity Co-chair with UCM's Campus Activities Board and Supervisor at the Pavillion. Astrid's original plan was to move back to Los Angeles after college, but after working on campaigns like Seeds of Resistance and Fight For Our Future, she saw that the Central Valley has potential to grow. She wants to be present for when the youth and farmworkers become prioritized in Merced.
When Astrid isn't organizing, she loves watching movies with her black cat named Wednesday. Besides binge-watching, she enjoys visiting LA and spending time with her four siblings.