In 2016, Sound Future had it’s first Sound Future Expo at A Reason To Survive (A.R.T.S.) in National City, California. It was planned in a matter of months, but this reimagined career fair for creatives had a lifetime before it was birthed.

The idea started as my third draft of a Community Action Project during my year as one of the RISE San Diego’s original Urban Fellows Cohort (s/o gen1!). I was bouncing ideas back and forth in my mind for nine months into my fellowship year, and none of them resonated with my soul. Then I had a conversation with Dr. Zachary Green, and he unearthed gems I buried.

Growing up as a kid in Southeast San Diego with a knack for creating and a huge imagination, I always wanted to see what a future as a creative professional could look like. But I never saw examples that looked like me.

Where I was raised, youth are often told to pursue careers that made a lot of money; like a doctor, nurse, engineer; or join the military or the force. But rarely were creative youth encouraged to explore the possibilities of a creative career.

Some ask “if you could, what would you tell your younger self?” Sound Future is not only what I’d tell myself – it’s what I’d want myself to see. People that look like us in roles that are part of the creative economy. Getting inspring advice from successful people who mirror my background and upbringing. And maybe even learning from mentors in roles and fields I never knew existed.

This is why Sound Future exists. To inspire young creatives who mirror my lived experiences and encourage them to follow their authentic creative selves.