Finding her voice: Journey’s path from Coro youth fellow to USC

For this alumni Q&A, we’re catching up with Journey — Youth Fellows Program alum, Campbell Hall senior, and lifelong Angeleno — one year after she completed Coro California’s six-week Youth Fellows Program in July 2025.

During her two-week internship placement, Journey worked with Hollywood 4wrd, a coalition dedicated to addressing homelessness in Hollywood through advocacy, education, service coordination, and innovation. There, she researched the history of coalition building in Hollywood to identify key learnings for future community coalitions, and engaged directly with key stakeholders across the housing and homelessness space to gain important insights for her research.

Now a senior at Campbell Hall School, Journey is preparing for her next chapter at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications in September. We asked her to reflect on how Coro’s Youth Fellows program shaped her path over the last year.

Coro challenged me to step outside my comfort zone, trust myself, and grow into a more thoughtful and confident leader.

Reflecting on Coro’s youth leadership summer program

The level of respect gave me confidence in my own voice and showed me that age or inexperience doesn’t determine whether you can contribute to important conversations.

Many students share with Coro California that the Youth Fellows Program is a very different experience from a traditional classroom environment. What surprised you most about the program?

What surprised me most about the Coro Youth Fellows Program was how much trust and independence my cohorts and I were given. Instead of being told exactly what to do, we were challenged to think critically, rely on our own judgment, and make decisions using the values and leadership framework we developed throughout the program. Rather than looking to our facilitator for answers, we were encouraged to ask better questions, reflect inward and figure things out for ourselves. That was one of the first times I truly felt treated as a young adult as opposed to a student expected to follow directions.

I was also surprised by how much confidence the civic leaders we met through Coro placed in us, taking our questions seriously and encouraging meaningful conversations. Going into interviews with influential leaders from government, nonprofits, and private sectors across Los Angeles, I expected to mostly observe. Instead, they genuinely valued our questions, listened to our perspectives, and treated us as people whose ideas mattered. This level of respect gave me confidence in my own voice and showed me that age or inexperience doesn’t determine whether you can contribute to important conversations.

What Journey learned from her youth leadership summer program experience

It’s been a year since you graduated from the Youth Fellows Program. How has Coro influenced your leadership style or civic engagement since graduating?

Before Coro, I would have described myself as a “quiet leader.” I cared deeply about the people around me and enjoyed taking on leadership roles, but I often waited for the perfect moment to speak up and wasn’t always confident sharing my opinions. I tended to listen more than I contributed, especially in conversations where I wasn’t sure my perspective would add value.

Throughout the Youth Fellows program, I was constantly challenged to step outside of that comfort zone. Whether it was participating in discussions, interviewing civic leaders, or reflecting with my cohort, Coro pushed me to share my thoughts and even be vulnerable when it felt uncomfortable. Over time, I realized that leadership isn’t about having all the answers but about being willing to contribute your perspective, ask thoughtful questions, and engage authentically with others.

That lesson has stayed with me long after graduating. My leadership style has become much more confident, collaborative, and willing to take initiative. I no longer wait for the “right” moment to speak up because I’ve learned that every perspective has the potential to move a conversation forward. Looking back, my growth was visible each week of the program, and it’s something I will continue to carry with me in my next chapter at USC, in my community, and throughout my career.

One year later: life after the Youth Fellows Program

Looking ahead, how did the Youth Fellows Program shape your future goals and aspirations?

Coro completely shaped my future goals and aspirations by showing me what meaningful leadership and community impact look like. Before Coro, I had never experienced what civic leadership and nonprofit work looked like firsthand. During my time in the Youth Fellows Program, I had the opportunity to work alongside leaders across Los Angeles, learn from professionals in different sectors, and see how nonprofits, government, and community organizations collaborate to create meaningful change.

These experiences sparked my passion for communications as a way to bring people together, share important stories, and strengthen communities. They also introduced me to the world of nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and volunteerism, work that I’m planning to be a part of for the rest of my life.

My Coro experience helped me choose to attend USC Annenberg, where I will major in Communication and pursue a minor in Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Volunteerism. Being immersed in Los Angeles’ civic landscape showed me that this is exactly where I want to learn, grow, and eventually build my career. Coro didn’t just give me new experiences, it gave me a vision for my future and the confidence to pursue it.

Thank you Journey, for these thoughtful reflections on your Coro experience!

About Coro’s youth leadership summer programs

The Youth Fellows Program is Coro California’s six-week, full-time summer leadership experience for rising high school juniors and seniors in the Greater Los Angeles area. Through facilitated leadership seminars, hands-on internship placements, and cohort-led Focus Days exploring civic challenges, fellows build core skills in self-awareness, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking — all while gaining real-world exposure to the institutions shaping Los Angeles.

Beyond the six weeks, fellows join Coro’s network of 15,000+ alumni, walking away with professional experience, a clearer sense of potential career paths, and a stronger college application. Need-based scholarships are available, and the program is open to students who live or attend school in the Greater LA area and are ready to grow as civic leaders in their schools and communities.

Learn more about Coro’s youth leadership summer programs

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