Andé
Social Justice Advocate | Wife | Mother | MSW | Doctoral Candidate
Andé Peña is the founder of The Seed That Grew. She dedicates her energy to areas of social justice, advocacy, and access to economic stability for historically marginalized community members.
Andé has spent over 15 years working in diversion and reentry services in California's East Bay Area through roles in a non-profit organization as well as a treatment court manager in the superior court system. She is completing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice, focusing on the cultural capital and personal experiences of people impacted by the criminal justice system.
Myeeka
Survivalist | Mother | Activist | Outreach Enthusiast
A message to you from our podcast co-host, Myeeka...
At a very young age I developed a passion for resisting oppression. I had a fire inside of me, even in kindergarten, that caused me to challenge things that “weren’t right.” Through my journeys of homelessness and the foster care system, the fire inside of me turned into an inferno in my teen years. Surrounded by mental illness and addicts, I began to realize that what I craved was change. Not to say I didn’t love the family members and foster parents who wanted the best for me, but more so, change in the way of how I would be as an adult, parent, and caregiver.
But how? How would I change all that has been, historically? How could I, an under-educated, teen mother, struggling with depression, affect long lasting and significant change? I'll tell you how. I learned to use my lived experience to help others and eventually, that passion became my career. Ever since then I have been restoring my community-one person at a time!
Joel
Content Strategist | Husband | Father | Tech Access Advocate
Joel Peña is a proud East Bay native, raised by a single mother and a large extended family. His experience receiving community support as a young man instilled the value of mentoring youth as they enter the workforce. He currently runs training programs for high-school and college students in Oakland that source, refurbish, and distribute computers, addressing the digital divide in their community through green technology solutions.