Kojuan “Ko” Trinidad-Williams (He/They) is a Compton, California native and First Generation College graduate with a B.A. in Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and M.A. in Higher Education & Student Affairs from the University of San Francisco. As an Afro-Indigenous, non binary queer person of color, Ko has dedicated his career to uplifting and ensuring that minoritized folx have access to equitable opportunities, so that they may lead the life they see for themselves and their families. His experience includes Academic and Career Advising, Residential Life and Campus Programming, College Access and Persistence, and social emotional learning to name a few. In his career, he has developed and refined a college access and persistence program model which increased graduation rates by 20% over a 12 month period. He also developed and maintained partnerships with a number of university officials across the United States, resulting in students being well connected and supported from college entry to exit and into career attainment. Other initiatives include, pre-college program development, creating partnerships/MOUs with third party organizations such as Open Path Collective and The Steve Fund, creating college level curriculum centered around student development, and producing bimonthly reports, one in which produced over $10,000 in emergency funds for students basic needs. Ko is devoted to being a resource and agent for positive social change by cultivating healthy support systems for underrepresented folx, and fostering safe spaces for dialogues around intersections of identity and culture. Ko currently serves as the Sr. Manager of Academies and Internships at LA-Tech.org, where he leads Tech Academies aimed at equipping minoritized folx with the technical skills needed to pivot into a career in the tech industry. Ko is also the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Soul Food Candle Co., a small pandemic born candle business started with his life partner, Marcus Trinidad-Williams.