Andrea Bandek (She/they) was raised in Reseda, CA and has lived in the San Fernando Valley for the majority of her life. Andrea is majoring in English and Chicane Studies with a minor in Sociology at CSU Channel Islands and is passionate about combining literature with a cultural and sociopolitical lens. Growing up in a Salvadoran household and in a predominantly Latine and Central American community, she started noticing the generalization of the Latine identity and grew passionate about resisting the erasure of Central American people/history and highlighting the different cultures and voices that are largely underrepresented. She hopes to become an educator in the future and has a particular interest in Feminist, Queer, Latine, and critical theory. As a student at Channel Islands, she helped conduct research focused on social media activism and how mujeres and feminine identifying people are not only protesting the gender state violence and feminicidios in Mexico and Latin America but are also creating virtual spaces of resistance, community, and memory. She loves poetry and anything related to artistic/creative expression. During her free time, she enjoys listening to music, having picnics at the park, sitting on the grass admiring trees/plants, and attending community events like open mic nights and local shows.