THE SPARK

My journey with Angel City didn’t begin with a boardroom pitch — it started on the sidelines, through my work as a mentor at Las Fotos Project (LFP). LFP is a nonprofit based in East Los Angeles that empowers teenage girls and gender-expansive youth of color to explore photography — offering courses in self-expression, photojournalism, creative entrepreneurship, and granting paid access to real-world photography work.

Through LFP’s “Artists in Residence” program, students — young photographers who rarely get access to professional sports environments — were given the chance to photograph Angel City FC home games under mentorship.

I watched how, when given a chance, these young photographers — often from underrepresented backgrounds — transformed from hopeful amateurs into credible visual storytellers, capturing not just the games but the players, energy, community and humanity around the club. That experience triggered something in me: a spark.

I saw the potential to bridge sport, community, art, and social change. I felt compelled to propose something bigger — a creative-strategic vision that could deepen ACFC’s commitment to community impact through a new way to tell player stories.

THE (T)ASK

From that spark came a proposition. Together with my partner and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), we developed a proposal: challenge ACFC not just to play on the field, but to continue “offense” — to be a force for change in women’s sports and youth access.

That idea aligned with the club’s values — and the result was the partnership to shape and launch of Angel City Impact. The foundation would aim to break down pay-to-play barriers, expand access to soccer, and invest in young people in a way that reflects the diversity and spirit of Los Angeles.

In order to do this with authenticity and a genuine spirit, we organized a fan roundtable — collecting voices, stories, hopes, frustrations from community members. We asked: What does access look like? What kind of impact do you want to see? What’s missing when it comes to youth access to sport, opportunity, creative expression?

Through these conversations, we began shaping the mission: ensuring access to sport and creative opportunity, especially for girls, women, gender-expansive youth — those who historically were excluded or underserved.

THE IDENTITY

With mission in hand, we had to give Angel City Impact a voice — not corporate, not performative, but authentic, inclusive, creative, human. We aimed for an identity that felt like a community initiative, not a polished brand. We crafted creative expressions grounded in real people — youth, artists, families, fans — and embraced storytelling rooted in lived experience.

We built on our roots with Las Fotos Project and began crafting the visual and narrative identity of the foundation: portraits, community moments, candid stories, hope, ambition. The goal was to create work that didn’t just show “what we do,” but “why we do it.”

In parallel, we mapped out program priorities and the strategic framework to support the identity for Angel City Impact: making soccer accessible (low- or no-cost) for 5–17 year-olds across Los Angeles; partnering with city recreation sites; building a coach network with representation (BIPOC, female, gender-expansive); providing leadership, mentorship, safety, and belonging. 

Our identity framing — mission + values + visuals — set the tone for everything to come.

The foundation wasn’t a a fleeting initiative. It was a movement.

THE LAUNCH

When it came time to launch, we resisted the classic “donors’ gala” format. We wanted something grassroots, inclusive, human — a gathering that put community first.

We partnered with creative collaborators: world renowned Dust Studios, Sammy's Camera, Secret Walls, and gave free creative range to local photographer Brittany Bravo who created a love letter to the people and their stories — not in staged, stock-photo poses, but in real, grounded, vulnerable moments.

Attendees didn’t walk into a ballroom. They walked through an art gallery — a visual narrative of the city, its youth, its communities. The photos on the walls belonged to the people themselves — some from LFP, others from local neighborhoods — individuals who would directly benefit from the foundation.

Then they stepped into a celebration: fed by local vendors, live mural painting by local artists, screen-printed t-shirts, music, creativity.

It wasn’t about glitz or luxury — it was about community and belonging.

We welcomed celebrities, but the spotlight remained on the people — youth, artists, families — all shaping a new story of access and equity.

Through the launch, the foundation went from idea to living, breathing reality. What we built was not just a nonprofit — but a platform for voices often marginalized, a safe space for creativity and sport, a commitment to long-term community investment.

THE CONCLUSION

This wasn't just a project, this mattered.

It quickly showed that real impact — creative, social, structural — doesn’t come only from boardrooms or big budgets. It starts with human connection, empathy, and vision. It starts with a spark.

My role was intentional. I bridged worlds: youth photography mentors and professional sport club; creative storytelling and social impact; community voices and institutional structure.

I brought my dual nature to bear — the strategist who sees process, optimization, impact; the storyteller who sees people, potential, humanity. I helped shape not just a foundation — but a narrative, an identity, a movement.

And for the people — the kids who now may have access to sport; the young photographers who now see themselves as professionals; the diverse communities of Los Angeles seeing themselves reflected — that matters.

That’s the real outcome.