YMCA Project Cornerstone 2024 Positive Peer Influence Awardee: Kianna Giselle Garcia

YMCA Project Cornerstone 2024 Asset Champions Awards
Positive Peer Influence Awardee
Kianna Giselle Garcia
Kianna Giselle Garcia is 19 years old and a sociology major at San Jose State University. Since the age of 7, she has been an active volunteer with homeless organizations. Giselle started off volunteering at a small non-profit organization with her father and that experience persisted into her high school years, where she became a youth advocate and decided to take matters into her own hands. Along with her father, they decided to form their own non-profit organization, Hands That Care Bay Area. Since then, Giselle has been active as a member working hard to help those in need. She shares her passion for community work within the walls of the YMCA’s After School Program at Schallenberger Elementary School, where she strives to impact the lives of our youth.
Giselle has always opened her heart to helping those in need, with this
characteristic playing a huge role in her everyday life. Her favorite saying is, “Everyone has a story, we are all human beings, and we all have that in common, so we should treat each other as such.”
"Giselle's impact on the community is truly commendable. Her efforts in supporting the unhoused and farmworkers is a true reflection of her compassionate spirit. Giselle's talent, care, and role-model demeanor make her an inspiration to many. I am incredibly proud to be part of Giselle’s inspiring work since she was in elementary school. She has become a valuable resource and beacon of positivity for our community. ¡Si Se Puede!" - Liz Gonzalez, Executive Director, Youth Development, YMCA of Silicon Valley.