Minerva Chavez, South Gate HS

Hampshire College

Since graduating from Hampshire College, Minerva taught 6th graders at St. Matthias Elementary School, English and journalism at Compton High School and ESL at Jefferson HS. She now works for a local non-profit called Peace Games.

"LA Youth intensified my interests in working with kids of all ages but in particular the older ones." Favorite memory: hanging out with Craig Trygstad and the rest of the gang in Washington D.C., and listening to outdoor jazz concerts around Capitol Hill.

Lupe Corona, Hollywood HS 1991

Antioch University. Majoring in writing and is organizing a class to teach girls journalism writing.

Lupe attended Antioch because it afforded her a lot of autonomy, selecting the professors she wanted to study with and creating writing workshops in Santa Barbara. She has been writing about Latina culture for The Independent and working for a writer, Annie Louise Bardach, who's writing a book about Cuba. She recently visited Cuba to take some photos. She hopes to get a masters and become a professor.

You can see her photos of Cuba at www.webdeck.net/cubapix/

E-mail: [email protected]

Koty Mukasa, Sherman Oaks CES

UC Santa Barbara

E-mail: [email protected]

Brandi Nicholson, George Washington Prep HS

Brandi went to USC, where she helped start a controversial organization called Sisterhood of American Women. After being put on academic probation, she went to L.A. Southwest College, where she was secretary of the Black Student Union, Associate Editor of the campus paper, and started a new organization that branched off from the Black Student Union. "Once again, I vacillated academically, then left after 2 1/2 years." She worked as a tutor for the Urban League, office manager of a record company, and now is happily employed at Whole Foods Market in Redondo Beach. She also has studied acting, hypnotherapy, auto mechanics and nutrition. "It may seem like an overly diverse group of skills and interests, none of which I'm currently pursuing, but for the first time in my life, I'm happy about my education and satisfied with what I'm learning. Most of my writing consists of me getting my thoughts on a subject together, or writing a letter to someone, but I'm still interested in doing freelance for a paper or magazine in the near future. I just can't work under outside pressure, like deadlines (That's another thing I learned about myself.)"

E-mail: [email protected]

Diane Quan, Sherman Oaks CES

Yale University, graduated 1995. UCLA Law School.

After Yale, Diane worked as a paralegal in New York. She now is studying at UCLA Law School and may pursue corporate law. She has been involved with the UCLA Women's Law Journal.

"LA Youth broadened my horizons and introduced me to a world beyond my high school and immediate neighborhood."

E-mail: [email protected]

Michelle Sweeney, Notre Dame Academy 1991

UC Berkeley 1991

Michelle was a travel writer specializing in the coverage of France. She worked on the 1998 edition of Fodor's new budget guide to France. She worked for the New England Aquarium in Boston in the conservation department. Among her tasks, she edited a report on the status of management on herring stocks. She now coordinates community relations for the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center.

E-mail: [email protected]

Josie Valderrama, Sherman Oaks CES 1991

Occidental College 1995

LA Youth was a great experience in so many ways. It helped me learn how to deal with the adult world, question authority and have a lot of fun! LA Youth helped me get accepted to good colleges, win scholarships and get on TV. It built a lot of confidence and helped me out by giving me a taste of a career early on. I am very grateful. I remember working on the police brutality stories. It was exciting tracking down the newest leads, talking to the FBI, negotiating with the attorneys over the police report we accidentally got a hold of, being on TV, interviewing gang members with bullet holes in them and everything else. A blast!

After graduating from Occidental College, Josie moved to San Francisco where she worked for an investment management firm owned and run by minorities. She recently spent three months in Costa Rica and hopes to visit Cuba. She worked in the advertising department of Xoom.com, a part of NBCi, NBCs new internet network, then became an account manager with the online storage site X:Drive. This is a pre-IPO startup with enormous potential.

E-mail: [email protected]

Photo: Josie dutifully filling out her alumni survey--something every alumni should do!

Andrew Viertel, Eagle Rock HS

Occidental College, majoring in politics with a minor in diplomacy and world affairs. While in college he chartered a Circle K International Club at Oxy, with help from others, including fellow alum Karen Lee. After graduating, he worked as a legal document coder at a downtown law firm, He now is a mission volunteer with the Presbyterian Church, living and working in Seattle's inner city. He writes, "It has been described as a Christian version of MTV's The Real World."

"LA Youth was one of many experiences that enriched my high school career and allowed me to get a well-rounded education. I was able to explore journalism and the many issues involved with the profession in a way that something like a high school newspaper would never have allowed. I have not been heavily involved in journalism for about six years, but I am a better consumer of information because of my LA Youth experience... Happy Birthday, LA Youth! Here's to 10 more years."

One of his favorite memories was going on KABC Talkradio with host Michael Jackson.