Raul Leon

Congressional Intern, Presented By: Walmart
Hometown: Bell Gardens, California
School: San Diego State University
Major: Geography
Placement: The Office of Rep. Robert Garcia

Raul is a recent first-generation graduate from San Diego State University in San Diego, California. Born and raised in East Los Angeles by his Guatemalan Mother and Mexican Father, he understood the struggles of having a lack of representation from living in an underprivileged community. Non-profit organization East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, introduced Raul to the environmental justice issues in his backyard and engaged in community development projects that harmed the well-being of the community. Projects including Exide refinery community clean-up meetings, LA River Master Plan development project, and led Toxic Bike Tours.

As a Geography major his primary goal was to learn and work towards a sustainable development in his community. During his early years in community college he started by Leading the Break Free From Plastic Campaign presented by Post Landfill Action Plan during the pandemic. During the fall of 2021, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution to phase off the sale of single-use plastics on campus, making Cerritos College the first Community College and Latino Serving Institution in California to do so. Then, transferred to San Diego State University, where he founded the undergraduate Geography Club during his first semester. In 2022 he was elected as the Sustainability Commission Representative, working closely with University Leadership to work towards refining the vision of a sustainable campus.

As a CHCI Intern, Raul is eager to continue representing his community and hopes to learn from professionals that represent the voice of the community on a larger scale.