Personal Stories

Manny Stegall is ethnically Mexican and was adopted as an infant by white parents, and grew up in a predominantly rural, white community. Raised in a lower socio-economic bracket, his family greatly benefited from adoptee social programs. Navigating the challenges of being one of the few people of color in [...]

Neda Moussapour immigrated to the United States from Iran when she was five years old. Though she hasn't been able to go back since elementary school, her identity as an Iranian has remained the most integral part of her life and has tremendously shaped the person that she is today. [...]

Change Consultant Evelyn Clark was just recently awarded for her work in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) and social justice within peer support. Presented by Jones Community Solutions, a Black-owned peer organization in Washington state, the Peer-O Award represents so much more for Evelyn. The peer movement has been [...]

Cynthia (Cindy) Rivera is originally from Arizona, where she grew up on a dirt road in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Although she loves the area, she knew she wanted more than what her small town could offer. Cindy attended the University of Arizona for her bachelor and master’s [...]

Molly Jean Oberweiser Kennedy (she/her, white-bodied, cisgender, queer, woman) was born and raised primarily in Montana with a few years in Washington State. She left Montana at 18 to attend college in Minnesota, remained there for 13 years, and then moved to Oregon in 2009. She knew at just 15 [...]

Melissa Smith comes to Change Matrix (CM) with a wealth of experience empowering individuals and communities through education, coaching, and advocacy. She grew up in Virginia and found her calling as an educator early on. After obtaining her bachelor's and master's degrees, Melissa worked for over 15 years as a [...]