our volunteers help to create a community of future leaders

Young adults face one of life’s biggest milestones, marking an important step to becoming an adult with greater emphasis on independence and self advocacy. DTBY leverages community leaders and develops support systems to help nurture the resilience of these young adults.

Rachel Shadid2020-2022 youth ambassador

Youth Inspire CommUNITY day hosts

Join us again on November 9th. We’re looking for volunteers for Nov 9th YICD: Pre event prep, Day of event Set up, registration, during the day, afternoon, evening.

community ambassadors

Walk off the Earth

“If I could go back and share one piece of advice with my younger self, it would be to stop worrying so much about things that are out of my control. This sort of recurring anxious behavior is something that many of us struggle with, and we’re fortunate to be at a point where the public conversation on mental health is more out in the open than ever.”

“If you’re currently dealing with depression or anxiety issues, please know that you’re not alone. Don’t be afraid to open up to a friend or family member about it, and be sure to look inward as well. Taking the opportunity to regularly check in with yourself and create moments of mindfulness every day is incredibly valuable, and is something that I really didn’t understand the value of until I was into my late 20s. If only I’d had someone tell me about it back when I was in high school!”

2020-2022 youth ambassador

Rachel Shadid

“I was privileged enough to receive the grand honor of being Corpus Christi’s Valedictorian of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. And when I was writing my speech, I thought about the advice I would like to share with the current students and future graduates. I want to start by congratulating them on their strength, resilience, and bravery during this unprecedent time, but I also wanted to motivate them to be even better than they are now.”

“One of my favorite quotes from Disney’s Cinderella is to “see things not for what they are but for what they could be.” This means that when you are faced with times of trouble or uncertainty, don’t see it just as it is, but see it for something that is going to make you better. Is going to make you stronger. Is going to make you brilliant. With that being said, if you are a future high school graduate, or a teacher, or a parent, my advice to you is to simply accept the hard times, learn from them, and keep your eyes forward and focused on the beautiful life ahead of you.”