Naty Rico. Compassionate leader. World traveler. College grad.

Major: Sociology and Education, UC Irvine

2011 – Joined Kid City and organized the first Splash of LA family festival.

2012 – Inadequate transportation for students with disabilities at UCI created severe obstacles for Naty to attend class, get to meals, and get around campus. Kid City responded by finding a donor with a mobility scooter, and Naty began her advocacy for students with disabilities.

2013 – Elected Chair, Committee on Students with Disabilities, Associated Students of UCI. Organized fellowship for UCI students at University United Methodist Church of Irvine.

2014 – With Naty’s help, the Bus Love Initiative secured funding for Ring Road Rides for the Disability Services Center at UC Irvine.

2015 – Naty gave her first Ted Talk, now on YouTube: Overcoming Ableism: What You Don't Know As An Able Bodied Person. Elected Co-chair for Movimiento Estudiantil [email protected] de Aztlan (MEChA).

2016 – Revised Kid City safety and security protocol. Supervised security team at Splash of LA.

2017 – Currently working as the New Student & Leadership Programs Coordinator at UC Irvine.

Do you have a story to share? Please contact Alma Catalan at [email protected]