What I learned while volunteering as a high school student in Fresno | Opinion

I have loved growing up in Sanger, surrounded by working-class families and lively households that resemble my own. Being involved in the community has never felt like a chore. However, as I started high school, I noticed more and more the many social and environmental problems facing this community, and began searching for ways to be part of the solutions.

In my sophomore year, I was inspired by my Advanced Placement Environmental Science class to find a way to be a part of the solutions for climate change. I found Citizens’ Climate Lobby online, and while I resonated with their science-based, nonpartisan messaging, I was truly drawn in by the people behind the Fresno chapter, whom I believe completely embody the definition of grassroots volunteerism.

Environmental activism

None of the leaders at Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Fresno were professionally trained in climate science or lobbying, and most balance full-time careers on the side, yet they pour so much passion and time into our shared cause. I have received so much encouragement and support from this organization’s community, making me feel like I truly belong.

Coming from an agricultural town, I see how the climate impacts our local economy and the safety of agricultural workers. Environmental changes affect our crop yields, air quality and agricultural working conditions.

Through my volunteer work, my idea of climate advocacy has been reshaped. As long as the burden of climate change disproportionately affects agricultural communities like Sanger and the broader Central Valley, it will never be a purely environmental issue, but a matter of equity and human rights.

With these lessons in mind, I began volunteering in what felt like a safe role: managing the chapter’s social media. However, volunteering has a way of gently refusing to let you stay comfortable.

As I leaned further into the Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s mission to pass legislation that helps people by lowering climate pollution, I found myself saying “yes” to opportunities that intimidated me: traveling to DC to speak to representatives, serving as youth engagement co-lead and even leading lobby meetings with my member of Congress, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno.

Traveling to Washington, D.C. at 16 was the first time I’d ever left California, and speaking to members of Congress and their staff was something I’d only seen on the news. I remember my sweaty hands and shaky voice in some of those meetings. With every lobby meeting, presentation and new leadership role, I learned that fear is not a signal to retreat, it signals that I’m moving in the right direction.

Volunteering with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby has taken me across the country, introduced me to rooms I once believed were out of reach and helped shape the passion I have for advocacy today.

Recognizing local needs

Through my volunteer experiences, I have come to recognize two ongoing needs in my community: first, a need for more mentorship and grassroots organizations that actively invest in young people and create pathways for civic participation. Second, there must be a broader cultural shift in how we view civic engagement. Our community is full of potential and passion, yet there is a deep sense of disconnect with the world of politics.

We are fully capable of using our voices to advocate for our needs and priorities, and we should not wait for people in suits to do it for us. Instead of waiting for others to advocate on our behalf, we must empower individuals from within our community to use their own voices and demand change.

Volunteer work is important because it transforms both the community and the individual. It taught me to choose initiative over apathy, confront problems rather than complain about them and lead with confidence even when I felt uncertain. It also taught me to become a steward of my community and preserve the spirit that raised me: neighbors showing up for neighbors.

Jimena Romero is a senior at Sanger High School who continues to volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby Fresno and run California Youth Voters. She is a Smittcamp Scholarship recipient and will be attending California State University, Fresno in the fall.