UNHEARD VOICES

Alayna Torres is an incoming senior attending Alhambra High School. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Alayna plans to minor in Journalism and major in Film and Media Production. Her desires are to work in the entertainment industry by pursuing directing, journalism, and film production. Alayna has always had a passion for expressing herself through art since she was a child. Throughout her High School experience, she discovered her love for journalism and while taking the class, she helped start and participated in an all girls podcast called “Girl Talk” at Mark Keppel High School before she transferred to Alhambra during her junior year, in which she continued to indulge in journalism. Over the summer of 2025, she attended the Girls Voices Now program in which she indulged in making her short film documentary based on immigration raids. Alayna’s long term goal is to inspire women and young girls around the world to reach for the stars and chase their dreams regardless of their race, social class, gender etc.

Mailie Estupinan Medel lives in the San Fernando area and is an incoming senior at Granada Hills Charter High School. She is involved in her school’s International Baccalaureate program. As well as, part of the newspaper, yearbook at her school, in addition tutors special education students. She is also part of the Metro council and has her own community service project, where she connects with incarcerated women and provides riding lessons to teenagers with a criminal record to help them cope. She enjoys listening to music and watching movies. She wants to contribute to her community by providing opportunities to those who need help by advocating for criminal justice reform and female re- entry. By joining Girls Voices Now, has led her a step closer towards reaching and achieving her dreams!

Ximena Brizuela is an incoming senior at Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. At school, she is a student tutor, vice president of the hispanic heritage club, and leadership member, where she has collaborated with a history teacher to promote more minority representation in the Advanced Placement program, giving speeches and conferences to reach student audiences. After high school, she plans on attending UCLA or SDSU for global studies, while minoring in film. Her passions stand in languages, global film, and photography. Raised in Guanajuato, Mexico, Ximena carries a sense of her culture wherever she goes. In the future, she aspires to become a film director, using her cultural roots and global perspective to tell impactful, meaningful stories.

Jaia Nicole is an incoming senior at Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts. She loves listening to music, reading, and making documentary and narrative films. Shes been enrolled in video production courses for 3 years, along with playing active roles in theatrical productions. At school, she participates and runs a variety of clubs to enhance her knowledge in important topics, and engage with her community. She loves to spread her knowledge of political and economical topics to other students to keep them well informed. In the future, she hopes to express herself more creatively, meet new people, learn more about peoples culture around the world, and make films that both inspire and comfort people.