Somos Familia

Somos ELLES: Empowering Leader Lifting Equity in Schools

Fundraising Goal: $20,000

In a time when our communities are under attack, we are rising with strength, with purpose, and with love. Somos ELLES (We Are Them) is a leadership and career development internship created by and for Trans, Non-Binary, LGBTQ+ Latine youth, including undocumented and DACA-mented students.

This is more than an internship. This is a movement, for survival, for joy, and for justice.

In the last year, Somos Familia has partnered with UC Berkeley and Stanford University to provide transformative internship experiences for LGBTQ+ students. These paid internships offer vital leadership development, hands-on career training, and affirming mentorship to students who are often navigating systemic discrimination, isolation, and economic hardship.

Now, we are expanding our vision. We aim to raise $20,000 to bring Somos ELLES to local Bay Area high schools, middle schools, colleges, and universities, reaching more young leaders where they are and building a pipeline of empowered LGBTQ+ youth who are ready to lead with authenticity and purpose.

Two of our upcoming interns are proudly LGBTQ+ students from UC Berkeley, ready to serve their communities and schools across the Bay. These young leaders deserve every opportunity to thrive, not in spite of their identities, but because of them.

As part of their internship, students will also work on local Sanctuary District policies to ensure increased protections for undocumented students and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth across the Bay Area. This policy-focused work will support safer, more affirming school environments that uphold students' rights, regardless of immigration status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

With the current political climate intensifying attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant families, and Trans lives, programs like Somos ELLES are not optional, they are essential. Our undocumented and DACA-mented interns face even greater barriers to access, safety, and opportunity. Your support can help change that.

We launch this campaign in honor of Sara Millerey, a trans woman whose life was tragically taken in Colombia in an act of transphobic violence that has deeply impacted communities around the world. As a non-binary, trans-led organization, we understand that this kind of loss is not isolated, it reflects a broader sentiment that continues to marginalize and silence trans lives, especially those of color. Sara was a writer, a student, a daughter, and a young woman full of light and possibility. Her passing is a tender and painful reminder of why our work matters so deeply. At Somos Familia, we hold this work close to our hearts because we know that honoring Sara’s memory cannot stop at remembrance, it must be rooted in sustained action, care, and a deep commitment to transforming the conditions that made her loss possible. Through Somos ELLES, we offer more than an internship, we offer affirmation, opportunity, and love. Every intern we welcome, every policy we help shape, and every moment of mentorship and care is a reflection of our collective hope, that young people like Sara not only be remembered, but that others like her may thrive in a world that embraces them. This campaign is our tribute to her, and a gentle promise to carry her spirit forward through action and community.

We need your help more than ever. Your donation supports:

• Stipends for LGBTQ+ interns, especially DACA students

• Leadership and career development workshops

• Placements in schools and youth-serving organizations

• Healing spaces, mentorship, and support circles

• The creation of identity-affirming community projects

• Policy work focused on expanding sanctuary protections for undocumented and LGBTQ+ students

When you give to Somos ELLES, you are saying YES to a future where Trans, Latine, and Non-Binary youth are leaders, not despite the odds, but because they are building new ones.

Donate today and stand with us. Somos ELLES. We are them. We are the future.