Stephanie Meza is from Orange County, California and is passionate about addressing systemic barriers faced by foster youth. She demonstrates her commitment to community through mentoring younger students as a speech and debate coach, building community for Latinas on campus through her involvement with Hermanas Unidas, and volunteering with the East Bay Sanctuary to support immigrant communities. Through these roles, she enjoys supporting students, creating welcoming spaces, and helping others build confidence in their voices.

Believing that opportunity should never be determined by circumstance, Stephanie channels her passion into action through NFYI, focusing on raising awareness about the challenges foster youth face and advocating for stronger educational and policy support systems. Through the Congressional Leadership Academy, she hopes to gain leadership, policy, and advocacy skills that will help her contribute to advancing policies and resources that support foster youth.

Beyond her advocacy work, Stephanie enjoys reading on her kindle, especially nonfiction, thrillers, and suspense books. She is currently a student at UC Berkeley, where she is completing a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Chicano Studies while developing an honors thesis that examines the tension between care and bureaucracy in systems impacting foster youth.