Mia Hamernik
- Camarillo, California
- Rio Mesa High School
Mia “believes in the benefits of activism.” Her beliefs empowered her to found the Gender Equality Club. In Mia’s initial year as president of the Gender Equality Club, she hosted her school’s first International Women’s Week. Mia recruited members from the Gender Equality Club to help execute her vision for International Women’s Week. Mia explains that they hosted a movie night, organized a field trip to California State University, and held the school’s first poetry slam. Upon realizing students’ need of more creative outlets, Mia partnered with the Latin American Student Organization to host another poetry slam. The Gender Equality Club has been invited to collaborate with the Ventura County Writers Club, and they are currently organizing a multi-generational project. Mia is a pretrial defense attorney for Mock Trial, a member of the California Scholarship Federation, and she is a site coordinator and tutor for School On Wheels.