Could you tell us your name and a little about yourself?

My name is Katherine Rivas. I am 15 years old and a junior at University High School. I was born and raised in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

You mentioned that you grew up in Koreatown. How's that been? What are your thoughts on Koreatown?

Koreatown is a really great place with a lot of diverse communities. There are [so many] places you can go and explore and have so much fun. I love living here. It's one of the best places to go around and get to know the people more because it's kind of a small community.

Are there other places you would want to live?

I've actually never thought about that, but if I had another choice to live somewhere else, I would probably move to a whole different state, like Washington. I have a lot of family members over there, and they seem to like it. I value my family a lot and the time we get to spend together. I like being able to do any type of activity or simply eat dinner together as a family. For me, it's these moments that I cherish. I really love my family.

Is there a specific reason that you like Koreatown? Or is there a memory that you'll remember forever from Koreatown?

A significant memory for me is just walking around with my older sister. She recently moved away for college. I’m not able to see her a lot anymore, but I love it when she comes home. We just go out and walk around sometimes. As I said before, there are a lot of things to do in Koreatown, so we like exploring and trying new things, which is fun. It helps build connections within my family and makes them stronger. 

Is there a specific or important place that you guys have explored together? 

There's this little shopping center near where I live. It has a lot of stores, so we just walked around. We kind of got lost at some point, but we were able to find our way back. It’s fun to be able to go to new places together.

What made you join KARS?

Previously, I had been in a similar program with KYCC, where we also learned a lot about opioids and stimulants, and I thought it was such a huge opportunity for me. I loved my time there, and it felt so short. So when I heard of KARS, I immediately wanted to get back into it. I also loved the interviews and wanted to do them again. I thought it was a great program for me to return to and strengthen my knowledge so that I could learn and give back to my community.

What are your favorite ways of giving back to your community?

I love being able to share what I already know and what KARS has taught me. If anyone I know needs services or is in need of help, I like to refer them to [different services at KYCC], share a little bit of what I know, and show the skills that I've acquired thanks to KARS and KYCC as a whole.

Are there other KYCC programs you are currently a part of?

Last summer, I also participated in BRIDGE, [a volunteer program that recruits, trains, and places high school volunteers to work directly with students in their K-8th grade afterschool programs.] One of the first things I liked about it was the community and all the new people I met. They're all very sweet and welcoming, and it helped make it an enjoyable environment during my time there. KYCC is a very special place to me because of all the different experiences and memories I have from it.