Born and raised in Mountain View, CA, William Tinajero-Noriega spent many weekends visiting family in East Palo Alto. Will feels he was raised not just by his parents but by his entire community—family, school, mentors, friends, and more. “I have had many advocates, and now that I work at Nuestra Casa, I want to do everything in my power to give back and push it forward.”
As the Environmental Justice Program Assistant at Nuestra Casa, Will supports program initiatives in East Palo Alto by translating materials, communicating with the community, collecting data, and assisting with activities and workshops. He draws inspiration from Utah Phillips: “I serve my community to protect the people I love and to ensure that future generations thrive in the world we help build. To me that means advocating for the unheard and bringing people to justice because, ‘The Earth isn’t dying, it’s being killed. And the folks doing the killing have names and addresses.’ ”
Will attended Los Altos High School and graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Conservation Science and Policy. He was the first in his family to graduate from university (woot woot!). His hidden superpower is his thirst for knowledge, and he always leaves room to wonder. Lately, that wonder has led him to learn more about gardening and homesteading, as well as going on nature walks and birding. He enjoys drawing the organisms in his field guide. Connect with Will on LinkedIn.