Anaïs Frey

Youth Participant

Anaïs Frey is a sophomore at Geffen Academy. She grew up in the Olympic Park area and loves exploring Koreatown (visiting restaurants, cafes, malls and markets). She also enjoys getting to know the people in the community. She joined KSP because she is interested in developing her journalistic skills while learning about the history of Koreatown and speaking to the people who have helped the area become what it is today. Anaïs loves animals and has six cats and two dogs. She participates in Youth and Government and MUN and enjoys playing volleyball, singing, and creative writing.

 Anaïs’s story →

Daisy Yeon

Youth Participant

Daisy Yeon is a junior at Marlborough School in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. She was born nd raised in Los Angeles. Although she doesn’t live in the Koreatown/West Lake/Pico Union area, she always finds community in Koreatown, going to restaurants, study cafes, and meeting friends and family. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, filming/editing videos, and playing the piano. At school, she founded the DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) club, has been running cross country since 7th grade, and dances hip-hop at her school’s concert. She plans to pursue a business career and sees journalism as a vital tool for communication to connect with people and ideas anywhere she goes.

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Daniella Morales

Youth Participant

Daniella Morales is a senior at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights. Growing up around the Pico Union area, she has developed a deep appreciation for the culture and diversity of her community. Although she now commutes for school, this experience has allowed her to gain new perspectives and broaden her understanding of the world. Daniella is an active member of Youth and Government, where she has honed her critical thinking and political awareness. Recognizing the disconnect between culture and representation, she has taken up photography to celebrate and document her community. Daniella plans to study political science in college, with the goal of pursuing a career in law while also exploring international issues.

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Esmeralda Tajiy

Youth Participant

Esmeralda is a senior at Rise Kohyang High School in Koreatown. She joined KARS after hearing about it from a friend and wanting to learn how to use Narcan to help others. Esmeralda has seen firsthand how substance use affects her friends and family, motivating her to raise awareness and share resources in her community. She hopes to become a nurse — possibly in pediatrics or dentistry — where she can combine her love of healthcare with her passion for uplifting and caring for others.

esmeralda’s story →

Heidy Montiel

Youth Participant

Heidy Montiel is a senior at Miguel Contreras learning complex school of social justice in Westlake. She grew up in both Westlake and Boyle Heights feeling at home in both . Although these neighborhoods were across the city from each other, growing  up she saw similar social issues that deeply impacted the wellbeing of both communities. Trying to find a way away from these issues she began to civically engage in her community. In a class she had in middle school she learned the impact journalism and storytelling  can have in spreading awareness and different point of views. She has a passion in politics and social justice ,and hopes to major in political science.

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Isleen Lee

Youth Participant

Information missing*

Isleen’s story →

Joyce Kang

Youth Participant

Joyce Kang is a junior at La Cañada High School in La Cañada Flintridge, where she is deeply involved in the school’s newspaper and yearbook. Born and raised in Koreatown during her early childhood, she has a strong connection to the neighborhood’s diversity, warmth, and tight-knit community. Joyce is passionate about storytelling through both writing and photography, and she values empathy and human connection in her work. She volunteers with Teen Line, a teen-to-teen mental health hotline, and co-founded Poetic Hearts, a nonprofit that uses creative writing as a mental health outlet for students across L.A. County. Through her work, Joyce hopes to amplify unheard voices, reduce stigma around mental health, and continue giving back to the communities that shaped her, especially Koreatown, where her love for stories first began.

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Luke Park

Youth Participant

Luke Park is a sophomore who lives in Yorba Linda. At school, he most enjoys his AP Seminar and World classes. Outside of school, Luke is a decorated Life rank in the Boy Scouts of America, taking part in camping trips, service projects, and leadership opportunities. He has also won numerous awards in his Mun club, such as Best Delegate. Sustainable farming is one of Luke's interests. He spent some time on an organic farm, learning about different ways of farming that allow it to be used renewably.

He also plays guitar — both acoustic and electric — and enjoys learning songs like Come Rest On Us by Brandon Lake. Luke is excited to learn more about Koreatown’s culture and history. He hopes to use storytelling as a way to share perspectives and highlight different voices. In the far future, he plans to explore a career in medicine. 

Luke’S story →

Marsiha Shams Mariya

Youth Participant

Marsiha Shams Mariya is a sophomore at RFK-ASGL school in Los Angeles. She was born in Bangladesh and moved to the United States at the age of 14. She always has a passion for creative writing and learning new facts around the world. After coming to Koreatown, she was interested in learning more about its history and AAPI culture. She is also a member of the Asian Pacific Student Advisory Council (APSAC) under LAUSD. She is exploring various study majors to narrow down her path and yet, gaining new connections and experiences every day.

Marsiha’s story →

Niko Ma

Youth Participant

Niko Ma is a junior at Harvard-Westlake School (Class of 2027). He is an active member of the Photography Club, Joy Market (a food-waste redistribution initiative), Korean Club, the school’s jazz ensemble, and the robotics team, where he serves as a photographer and social media manager. Growing up in West Hollywood, Niko has spent much of his life in Koreatown, where he meets family for dinner nearly every week. As a proud Korean American, he hopes to share the unheard stories of Asian immigration to the U.S.—the struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs that shape the community’s identity. His passion for journalism and photography stems from a desire to capture and tell these stories through a youth perspective, exploring how immigrant families build belonging and contribute to their neighborhoods. In the future, Niko plans to pursue a career in medicine while continuing to use writing and photography to amplify underrepresented voices.

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Rigoberto Lopez

Youth Participant

Rigoberto Lopez is a senior at the Ambassador School of Global Leadership in Koreatown, where he has lived for the past decade. Before returning to Los Angeles, he spent much of his childhood in Mexico. Throughout his time in Koreatown, he's enjoyed participating in extracurricular activities that allow him to make a positive impact on others. He is an active member of the Math Club, where he tutors younger students, as well as the National Honor Society, Kindness Club, and ASB, which focus on creating a more supportive school environment. He also participated to help the elderly community members learn how to use technology.

Living in Koreatown has given Rigoberto the chance to explore two different cultures, his own Mexican heritage and the Korean culture around him. He loves exploring  local shops and restaurants as he tries something new. Through the Koreatown Storytelling Program, he hopes to strengthen his communication and interviewing skills to make use of it during his interview, to choose someone that can help the community better understand and appreciate what Koreatown is

Rigoberto’S story →

Santiago Mecinas

Youth Participant

Hello my name is Santiago Mecinas. I am 15 years old. I go to Alliance Ted K. Tajima High School. I am currently a student in 10th grade with good grades, friends, and an overall kind person in general.

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Sarah Barnavon

Youth Participant

Sarah Barnavon is a senior at Marlborough School in Los Angeles, where she is actively involved in research, leadership, and community. While she doesn’t live directly in Koreatown, she spent a large portion of her childhood there, spending time with her grandparents, and she still enjoys going there frequently. She leads the Untold Histories club at her school and serves on the Teens Leading Change council at the West LA Regional Library, where she helps coordinate projects that promote civic awareness and storytelling. Sarah is passionate about psychology, anthropology, and cultural history, exploring oral history further as a part of her research program. Outside of academic life, she is a team captain on her varsity volleyball team and enjoys baking for her friends and family. In the future, she hopes to study psychology and anthropology in college. 

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Sebastian Mecinas Mendoza

Youth Participant

My name is Sebastian Mecinas Mendoza. I am a sophomore at alliance K Ted Tajima.I am currently in 2 honors classes, English and history. I am also an amateur boxer outside of school I box at wildcard boxing gym and have been boxing for 2 years now.Hobbies that I love to do is photography and listening to music

Sebastian’S story →

Terin Lee

Youth Participant

Terin Lee is a junior at Marlborough School in Los Angeles. She has lived in Koreatown for 11 years and attended preschool and elementary school there. She enjoys being a leader of her school’s AANHPI affinity group and of the club Project Angelenos, which aims to fight for immigrant equity and rights in Los Angeles. She also leads Sori Rising, a traditional Korean drumming youth group and is the politics editor of her school's newspaper, The UltraViolet. Terin has played competitive soccer from the age of six and more recently for her high school. In her free time she loves taking photographs and exploring restaurants, art galleries, and cafes in Koreatown. Terin is looking to further deepen her connection to Koreatown and its history, which is why she joined and is returning to KSP. 

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