Shelby Young (she, her, hers)
I was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. My mom is an Arizona native and grew up on the border of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico, but I never expected to reside in Arizona myself. I graduated from the University of Arizona to become a Microbiologist with an emphasis in Virology. Outside of school is where I started my activism. I joined the Black Student Union my freshman year to advocate for equitable education for Black students. After three years, I served as the Co-Executive Director for the Coalition of Black Organizations, overseeing 14 Black-led organizations. For the last two years, I've worked with AZC4C, Arizona Coalition for Change, where I focused on amplifying Black voter turnout, social justice issues, and equity through policies to ensure all voices are represented at the table. Now I am their Tucson Campaign Manager focused on providing programs focused on community organizing and legislation/policy-learning for young activists in AZ.