A woman who experienced bullying as a middle school student has spent the last 22 years giving young people a safe place to belong and grow.
Shelene Huey-Booker knows how to lift the spirits and voices of young people.
“I wanted to use my passions at that point to show others they’re seen, they’re known, they’re heard,” she said.
The good vibes she shares today are actually borne out of a traumatic experience back in middle school.
“I was severely bullied by a particular young lady that made signs of a pig and put that on my chair. I was known by peers as La Porky,” she stated.
Because she found refuge in music, she knew she’d one day create a safe place for underserved youth to learn the arts like she did.
So in 2002, she founded Youth Utilizing Power and Praise, also known as YUPP .
As executive director, Huey-Booker leads the faith-based program that serves hundreds of people ages 6 to 25 each year in six counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, and its home base in Santa Clara County.