Lilia Stone currently pursues a degree in International Studies-Political Science, with a concentration in Latin America at the University of California, San Diego. Born in a small town along the border in Sonora, Mexico, as well as a resident of San Diego, Lilia was aware of the issues that plagued border communities. Passionate about the environment, human rights, and public policies, Lilia spent a summer doing field research in a slum in Tijuana, Mexico. Aware of the social injustices found in that region, she and two friends decided to create a sustainable garden and implement nutrition and fitness classes under the Sustainable Unity and Vegetation Empowerment Project (Proyecto S.U.A.V.E). Lilia also has experience with politics at the local, state, and federal level, having interned in a California State Senator’s office, City Councilman, as well as a federal agency in Washington, D.C. Lilia hopes to innovate social change through the creation of public policies.