VIDEO DESC/ TRANSCRIPT: A medium shot of Liliana. Liliana is wearing a flower t-shirt and is seated centered of a room.

LILIANA: Hello! I'm Liliana Ortiz. I recently graduated from the California School for the Deaf, Fremont. I was a Jr. NAD member for the last three years, during my sophomore, junior, and senior years. During my sophomore year, I won the title as the Jr. NAD Ambassador 2017 - 2019.

Photo: Liliana is smiling while holding a certification with Isabella.

Photo: Liliana is presenting. A slide is behind her with text: “Jr. NAD Ambassador 2017 - 2019 (Jr. NAD logo) Liliana Ortiz Tapia.

LILIANA: My favorite memory was when I flew to the NAD Conference in Hartford, Connecticut. I was an emcee for the Youth Luncheon. There was so many people and I was intimidated by the thought of being on stage. I was so nervous. However, I eventually became more confident in myself and realized I had a lot of potential to contribute to our deaf community.

Photo: Liliana is standing on stage.

LILIANA: At CSD Fremont, I was also involved with two clubs: the Feminist club and the Raza de Sordx, which is a deaf Latinx club. I was President for Raza de Sordx for two years. It was a rich experience. I’m truly proud of what we achieved.

Photo: A group photo of Raza de Sordx club with Ensamble Folclórico Colibrí for the National Latinx Heritage Month.

Photo: Raza De Sordx Club pose with Deafies in Drag for a photo at their booth during Deafopia.

LILIANA: I encourage you, deaf youth, to get involved as much as you can. You can get involved with Jr. NAD or other school organizations because there are so many positive benefits you'll gain. First, if you have stage fright, you can break that habit! Secondly, if you have ideas, you can share with your organization and make it become a reality! Third, you can host events for your school or community and make it a gathering for a good cause. You can do fundraisers or many more! Lastly, you will create new memories, create new friendships, and meet many people from different areas. For instance, you could meet guest speakers and get to know them! There are many wonderful opportunities. This is why I encourage you to join student organizations. You will feel good about contributing your part to your school and to the deaf community. Thank you.

Video fades to black.