Natasha, a southside Minneapolis native. At 17, Natasha was kicked out her home due her legal guardian being unable to provide the familial support that Natasha needed. Her high school teacher adopted her, enabling her to have a second chance at success. She has used her experiences and personal hardships to cultivate community, mentor BIPOC youth, and provide resources for young people to become civically engaged. In collaboration with Ramsey County Health Department, Natasha led conversations to encourage youth vaccination and led panels on technology investment for Black Communities.
For 3 years she worked at Bridgemakers as the Youth Engagement Director. In that time she worked directly with students, mentoring them and cultivating their communication and storytelling abilities. She has since launched into a new career at Youthprise and now serves as a youth board member for Bridgemakers. Natasha’s experiences make her not only devoted to but connected to the young people she serves everyday.