Esmeralda Nuno Mora is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in sociology at UC Berkeley and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2025. She is a former Mckinney-Vento Unaccompanied Homeless Youth and aspires to use her research to establish pathways to higher education for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth in the K-12 system. In addition to her advocacy work, she enjoys comedy, writing, and boxing. Esme is passionate about raising awareness of underrepresented youth who’ve been negatively impacted by the child welfare system and ensuring everyone has the chance to dream, no matter where they are in life.
John Burton Advocates for Youth improves the quality of life for youth in California who have been in foster care or homeless by advocating for better laws, training communities to strengthen local practices and conducting research to inform policy solutions.