Fight the Power: Inside Careers in Social Justice and Non-Profits

Liana Liang

Communications Associate | Asian American Advancing Justice- LA

Liana Liang is a Communications Associate at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA. Before she graduated with an International Development Studies B.A. and an Entrepreneurship Minor in 2019, she had internships with the Asia Pacific Center, HKTDC, and nonprofits that furthered her interest in the activism and social justice realm. She has worked on several projects including COVID-19 relief funds, 2020 Census, voting rights, and currently a housing anti-discrimination project. In her free time, you can find her painting, dancing, or cooking.

Cara Onofre

Policy Director | Los Angeles Unified School District

Cara Onofre is a native Angeleno and proud Bruin. As Policy Director for the Board President of the Los Angeles Unified School District, she is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their zipcode can realize their academic promise. Cara’s passion for educational equity sparked as an adolescent after seeing members of her extended family, recent immigrants to Los Angeles, struggle with navigating local school systems. She is especially interested in policy that impacts Foster Youth, English Learners and expanding Early Childhood Education to all children across Los Angeles.

Kenya Yarbrough

Director of DEIA & Advocacy | Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles

Kenya Yarbrough is the Director of DEIA & Advocacy at Girl Scouts where she helps to build the sustainable integration of inclusive leadership competencies in girl programming and organizational culture, as well as promote policy and legislation in support of equity and opportunity for girls. Ever leaning on learnings from pursuing her English degree from UCLA, she previously served as director of marketing for the organization, where she led strategies to strengthen the iconic brand after a career that spanned entertainment journalism and the political arena.

Vusisizwe Azania

Senior Community Service Advisor | Community Programs Office, UCLA

Vusisizwe Mkanyasi Azania is an LA born, St. Louis raised TWIN. When Watts exploded in 1965 his mother was the phone immediately saying “daddy we need to come home.” Home for her was St. Louis. He moved back to LA in 1978 to attend LA High. And the rest is black history as they say.

Vusi is celebrating years as a Black Bruin. A prominent student leader with ASU, Nommo, the Mother Org Coalition, and the Community Programs Office (CPO). Today Vusi is the senior Community Service Advisor at the CPO; co-founder and Committee Member of SREC, co-founder and director of the UCLA Beloved Community Initiative (BCI) and he gets to serve as Vice-President of the UCLA Black Staff & Faculty Association. In terms of community affiliations, Vusi serves as Board President for TEC Leimert a non-profit based in South LA. He is also a parent, uncle, cousin, brother, son, as well as a friend, neighbor and an avid recycler.

Eboni Shaw Manager and Student Affairs Officer, Department of African American Studies, UCLA

Eboni Shaw is the current and first Manager and Student Affairs Officer for the Department of African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Serving the unit in many capacities from advising undergraduate and graduate students to overseeing the day-to-day operations. She is currently a committee member of UCLA ACE (Advising Communities of Excellence), UCLA Humanities Career Panel Series (HCPS), served as a member of UCLA’s Destination Crenshaw’s research team and participated in UCHRI (University of California Humanities Research Institute) Diversity as Discipline: Decolonizing the Neoliberal University. Eboni serves as the current Vice President and President-elect for UCLA’s Black Staff and Faculty Association (BSFA) and is the representing member for UC BLAC (Black Leadership Alliance Council).

Along with her committees and regular job duties she has served as the MC and moderator for numerous campus events. Eboni wants to ensure that UCLA is a safe community for all and will continue to build community no matter what role sue is currently in.   She is a native of Inglewood, California, and graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s University (formerly College) and long-time member of the Bruin Community having been on staff for 20 years.