KATRECE OUTLAW
Katrece, 23, is a 2009 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, and is currently completing a year of service with the National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps Program in Chicago. Katrece has also spent the last year working at Chicago House and Social Service Agency as a HIV tester and prevention counselor. Next month she will begin resume life as a student at Emory University School of Medicine, where she hopes to continue her efforts in HIV prevention. After graduating from Emory, she plans to return to Chicago to practice medicine.
Did you know? Katrece was licked by a giraffe and almost attacked by baboons during an eventful study abroad in Kenya.
SEAN DICKSON
Sean, 22, is now a graduate student in Ann Arbor, Mich., pursuing a masters in public health and a law degree after receiving his B.A. in public policy at the University of Chicago. Sean began his LGBT-rights work as a high school student in rural northern Illinois when his school canceled a proposed Gay and Lesbian Month in the school's diversity programming after parent protests. Sean began his involvement in LGBT advocacy through a local chapter of the International Student Activism Alliance. Sean's support of LGBT communities in diverse settings has continued through volunteering at the Broadway Youth Center and internships with About Face Theatre and working with global LGBT programming at Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights.
During the past two summers, Sean interned with the AiBai Chengdu LGBT Youth Center in Chengdu, China, and is working on public health projects in Tanzania, Malawi and Burundi.
Did you know? Sean is a passionate fan of biking and whiskey.
ANTHONY MARTINEZ
Anthony, 29, graduated in 2002 from Drake University with a BFA. He began LGBT activism at Drake in the Bisexual Gay Lesbian Ally Alliance at Drake ( BGLAAD ) when he was elected to the board. Since coming to Chicago he has volunteered for many organizations, including Test Positive Aware Network, Equality Illinois, AIDS Foundation of Chicago and PFLAG, among others. Anthony is also currently on the resource and development committee of the board of directors for Vital Bridges as well as a member of the governing board for the Civil Rights Agenda. In December 2008, he co-founded LGBT Change, which seeks to bridge and unites divides within the LGBT movement both locally and nationally.
Did you know? Anthony is a closet Poison fan.
CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON
Chris, a 25-year-old public ally, works with the youth program at Center on Halsted. Chris builds his relationships with young people on a non-clinical basis through using the harm-reduction model and exhibiting respect. Chris finds most of his time occupied doing advocacy and empowerment work geared towards the youth homeless queer and trans community. Chris is a suburban transplant who's also lived around the West Coast and is excited about expanding his skill set in youth work and hopes to eventually start youth organizing. Among other things, Chris created and organized the Center's recent annual LGBTQ Youth prom,
"Bad Romance."
Did you know? Chris refuses to eat grapefruit for no particular reason, and is obsessed with Hello Kitty.
ZAIDA SANABIA
Zaida is a 25-year-old Latina who works with Beyondmedia Education as a youth outreach coordinator. She is also involved with Amigas Latinas, where she coordinates and facilitates the Amiguitas Queer Group. She documented the struggles of starting a gay-straight alliance in her high school, Carl Schurz High School, in her film, A Fish Almost Eaten by a Shark, which has been screened nationwide to educate and train school administrators on creating safe schools for LGBT youth. Last year, Zaida was inducted to the Lesbian and Gay Hall of Fame.
Did you know? Zaida loves to play soccer and hopes to become a physical education teacher.
XAVIER DAVIS
Xavier, 26, is a grassroots organizer and youth worker who has dedicated his life to social justice, helping the African-American community while also collaborating with various oppressed communities in the universal fight for cultural, economic and spiritual liberation. He spent a year with the Fellowship of Reconciliation's Nonviolent Youth Collective as a national youth organizer involved with nonviolent social change and LGBT issues. Following that, Xavier served as a volunteer staff organizer with the New Orleans Survivors Council, supporting the grassroots survivor-led rebuilding of New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Xavier later moved to Chicago and volunteered with the Broadway Youth Center's mentor program before joining the drop-in team and supporting the work of the Peer Advocate Project.
Did you know? Xavier is wannabe healer and foodie who enjoys exploring cooking, nutrition, herbalism and massage therapy, and the overall connection of food, emotions and physical health to social transformation.