Hello, my name is Arely Matus. I am a Youth Navigator under the Mutual Aid Youth Leaders Program. My pronouns are she/they, I am bisexual and a Capricorn 😀. I was born in El Centro, CA, and most of my life I moved around a lot so I did not have a stable education. It wasn’t until around October of 2022 that I got homeschooled and finished High School. I plan on enrolling in Hartnell College soon and hope to graduate with a degree in Human Services. My hobbies are reading, listening to music, writing, painting and going out with my friends. I first started off here at The Epicenter as a member of the Our Gente Program, Queer and Trans Youth Collective (QTYC). Growing up in an unstable household was really hard and it made me realize that there are other youth out there experiencing the same or similar issue. It was because of my instability that I grew a passion to help other youth who are struggling. When The Epicenter was opening a position to work here, I was immediately interested. Working here at The Epicenter has been the greatest experience because I get to meet new people and help youth in need.