Jesse Quijada (17, San Jose, California) is a long-time community activist and the founder of Jesse Quijada Youth Foundation that helps youth from low-income communities find full-time and part-time employment. He empowers young people through a job readiness program that he developed to help these youth prepare for the job market. He provides helpful tips on how to write a resume, how to ace an interview, what to wear to a interview, and many other helpful resources. Jesse would like to reach as many youths as possible in the city of San Jose and tackle the unemployment issue.

Jesse was inspired by his mentor at San Jose Council who showed him how easy it is to make a difference in other people’s lives. Jesse has always been known to be a selfless person, and always being the first person to volunteer for something new. The goal Jesse  set is to provide proper job training to youth that are currently searching for employment and afterwards help place them in a job where they can be successful and have room to grow. Jesse is building partnerships with local employers who have each agreed to accept a certain number of youth that go through the job readiness program and hire them for either part-time or full-time positions.

Jesse has been consistently engaging his fellow youth by showing them what he has done, and how they can do the same. He was able to find part-time and full-time employment for over 1,000 youth from all around San Jose. He will continue to grow those numbers as he wants to spread his message and get more youth involved with the Jesse Quijada Youth Foundation.