Meet Azucena, Senior at Watsonville High School

Azucena pictured left.

Azucena Sandoval has worked with Regeneración since summer 2024 as an intern. Check out her slides and read her recent remarks below.

Azucena Sandoval - Regeneración End of Year Celebration.pdf

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Hello everyone, my name is Azucena Sandoval, and thank you all for coming to Regeneración’s 2025 End of Year Celebration.

I want to start by sharing a bit about my background. I have lived in Watsonville my entire life, and since I was young, I have lived by a simple mantra: work hard. But this wasn’t just something people told me. It was something I saw every day.

My parents and neighbors’ alarms would blare long before dawn to endure ten-hour work shifts, and when my brother and I were dropped off with Mami Tonia, the lady who cared for us while my parents worked, I would see agricultural workers already out in the fields at 6 AM. Seemingly, every adult in my life had their days completely filled, working tirelessly, yet pridefully, knowing that through this labor, they were providing for their families and their future.

Persistence, then, defined this world. My world. And as a child, the only way I felt I could contribute was by working hard in school and excelling academically. So I pushed myself to succeed. 

But as I got older, my understanding of “work hard” began to shift. I admired my community’s perseverance, but I also began to see what lay beneath it: exhaustion. And with climate change and increasingly oppressive policy only adding to that exhaustion, I couldn’t stand to just contribute passively through studying. I realized that I needed to use my voice—even if at first, I didn’t know how, or even believed it truly mattered.

That uncertainty still followed me to my first major speech for the Youth for Environmental Actions’ 2024 Earth Day Summit, where I spoke about California’s 2023 atmospheric rivers which completely devastated community members in Pajaro, many of them agricultural workers who lost their homes and livelihoods in flooded fields. As passionate as I was, I second-guessed every word, worried that my nervousness weakened my message.

But then Nancy approached me afterwards and asked “Would you like to join Regeneración?” In that moment, I realized she had truly heard me. She valued my voice. And for the first time, I did too.

I have since helped advance Regeneración’s mission, working closely with María, Jissel, and Rocío, tabling at the plazita during Friday Farmers Markets, supporting community events, distributing bilingual resources, and helping families access environmental relief programs. And it was through Regeneración, where I learned that my voice is powerful because it is mine.

That confidence led me to take the next step: The Youth Design Challenge. 

The youth design challenge is a global initiative that gives youth worldwide a platform to create educational programs around community issues. Out of over 1,000 participants from 105 countries, I was selected as one of 12 finalists.

My project focused on agricultural worker health and safety. I highlighted how youth can take action in their own agricultural regions: by bringing their concerns to local leaders, protesting unjust working conditions, and using technology ethically to address safety concerns, such as pesticide and extreme heat exposure.

I didn’t know it at the time, but that work would take me far beyond Watsonville.

Out of the 12 finalists, I was chosen as one of three to present during the United Nations Global Assembly Week in New York City. There, I spoke about the Pajaro floods: the levee failure, the 8,700 acres of cropland destroyed, and the 9,000 people displaced. But more importantly, I emphasized that those numbers went far beyond statistics. They were lives.

A parent who couldn’t afford to miss work, even during the storms.A child whose home turned to mold.A neighbor denied aid because of their documentation status.

I ended my presentation with a call to action: to support agricultural workers everywhere and always.

Afterwards, people from around the world, including from Dubai, France, South Korea, Peru, and more, came up to me, and I was amazed to see how many people I had moved, how many truly listened to our  story.

Coming home, I was more certain than ever that I would continue advocating. I returned with connections to influential youth from over 15 countries, as well as global educators and women-led environmental organizations. One young leader even spoke to his city council about our story.

Now, as I focus on college applications, I have been reflecting on everything that led me here. I plan to study data science and environmental or agricultural engineering. But wherever I go, I know I will always lead with my community. My ultimate goal: to return home with the knowledge and resources to create lasting change right here, in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley.

I’m proud to say my greatest accomplishment is being part of Regeneración. But I’m even prouder to say that Regeneración will always be part of who I am.

My mission moving forward is simple: to continue regenerating.