KAYLA DEGALA-PARAÍSO

Kayla attended Pitzer College, where she participated in a cultural immersion programs in Ecuador, Italy, and Nepal; ran Varsity track; wrote many, many papers; taught yoga at a local studio; and graduated with a B.A. in English/World Literature (Creative Writing) and a B.A. in Political Studies (Comparative Politics). 

Kayla then moved to Boston, where she managed the Lawyer Referral Service at the National Lawyers Guild - Mass Chapter; organized low-wage, immigrant women of color around immigrants' rights and workers' rights through Matahari Women Workers Center; organized Overseas Filipinxs Workers (OFWs) and Fil-Ams around the Philippines human rights crisis through Boston Pilipinx Education, Advocacy, and Resources; taught virtual creative writing classes through GrubStreet; and continued to teach yoga.

Due to the pandemic and prolonged health crises, Kayla went into deep hibernation sometime in 2020, somewhere in Northern California. During her hibernation, she healed her body and made art. She has since surfaced in Los Angeles, where she still teaches virtual creative writing classes through GrubStreet. In Fall 2022, Kayla embarked on a new quest to expand her proficiencies as an organizer: she is now a dual Master of Public Policy and Master of Social Welfare (Social Work) graduate student at University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin School of Public Affairs. She also works as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Comparative Literature at UCLA.