FAITH FLOREZ
UNITED STATES, 18
Project: The Latina Legacy Foundation
Basic Human Needs: Education, Health, Safety
Growing up in the Central Valley, Faith witnessed first-hand the difficulties California’s agricultural industry workers face, including heat stroke. As a descendant of generations of farm workers, she was reminded that her own family members had suffered from heat-related illnesses while working in the fields of Shafter, California. Inspired to take action, Faith created the Calor App to combat the rate of heat stroke among farm workers and to protect their rights and their safety through education. In the past year, Faith has used her position as a HerLead Fellow and Ambassador to conduct a pilot program of the app that has impacted 100 farm workers. In that time, Faith has fundraised over $60,000 online for continued development of the app and has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Jaffe Foundation. To broaden the scope of her work beyond the agricultural sector, Faith created The Latina Legacy Foundation to tackle a variety of barriers in Latina communities throughout the United States, specifically focusing on projects that use technology and legislation to address legacy problems. Faith received the 2018 Dynamic Youth Award for her work during the Latino Spirit Award Ceremony at the California State Capitol. She plans to use the foundation to launch additional projects that address challenges within the Latina community. Faith’s first project is aimed at improving access to higher education and raising employment rates among Latina youth in the Los Angeles area.