Staff: Whitney Padilla
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Name: Whitney Padilla
Title: Gente Inteligente Director, Reading Program Director
Email: whitneypadilla@solidarityrising.org
I am attending Hope International University in Fullerton for a degree in Liberal Studies. I will graduate in May of this year. My family includes my parents, Rod and Susie, my Marine brother, Nate, and my wonderful husband, Sergio Padilla. I was born here in Orange County but moved and spent most of my life in Grand Junction, Colorado. I am a Coloradan, but couldn’t be happier living here in Fullerton; my home.
I was brought to Solidarity by my good friend, Erin Pifer in August of 2008. We knew each other from Grand Junction and when I came to school here, she told me about how awesome this place was. How could I not check it out? I started volunteering in the After School Program and was hired as a work-study Office Assistant the next month. But, I got my first pay check from Solidarity just last fall (September 2010). Woo woo! I work as the Education Enrichment Director here at Solidarity. So far, this means that I run educational programs for elementary students in the Garnet Neighborhood through different avenues like Reading Program and Gente Inteligente. (I also do random office duties and record keeping for program attendance).
What is your favorite TV show? Fortunately, we don’t have access to cable in our dorm rooms so I haven’t been sucked into fake worlds of dramatic comedies and the forensic who-done-its. I stick to my DVD set of Friends. How you doin?
If Solidarity were a piece of art, what would it be? A mural – a bunch of different styles and talents that come together in one purpose.
What does Solidarity smell like? Hot Cheetos and Chimoy and over-heating computer servers. It’s what we experience every single day.
What has Solidarity helped you discover about yourself? That I don’t have to work to be accepted or loved. Even with all my junk on the table and failures known, no one views me any differently.
