Michelle Perez

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

School: John C. Freemont High School

Michelle Perez is a rising senior attending John C. Fremont Senior High. She was born and raised in South Central, Los Angeles by her parents, who have been selling tamales ever since they immigrated from Mexico. Since Michelle was the youngest out of five kids, a big part of her life was being independent as she often found herself taking on responsibilities at a young age. During her freshman year, she was involved in the Track & Field team which helped her develop discipline and teamwork skills. Aside from that, she was able to advocate for her community by raising awareness on  issues that can impact the community through a club (MyC.RE.W) where she had the opportunity to be President of the club while also being Vice President of a (Red Cross Club) held at her school where she gets the opportunity to organize blood drives, recruit volunteers, and lead sessions at her school. Michelle applied to CHCI NextGen because she wanted to deepen her understanding of the key issues facing the Latino community. Coming from a Latino family, she has a passion for helping others within her community and beyond. Michelle is excited to learn how to become a more effective leader, create change, and advocate for the voices of those who often go unheard.