ASO Senator shows passion to help others by serving at Pierce Food, clothes and shelter for all

A dancer and lover of theater, Gisela Tarifa, grew up performing and experiencing the relationship between culture and art. That relationship taught her the importance of community and leadership, a lesson she would someday use to make the world around her better.

Tarifa is an ASO Senator, cochair of the ASO Community Welfare Committee and the author of the Brahma Initiative.

Tarifa, a Bolivian-Nicaraguan American, grew up in a big family where she learned the Bolivian culture, and became very family oriented.

She was born and raised in Pacoima, Calif., although living in Northridge now, she spent a lot of time in Pacoima visiting grandparents that play a very influential role in her life.

Her grandfather, Tomas Tarifa, was the original leader and organizer of a Bolivian folklore group called Bolivia Andina, a group created to raise awareness in Los Angeles about the Bolivian people and their culture.

“I got a role model from my grandfather to be a community leader and essentially help people and to present a perspective of a community that other people don’t realize or see,” said Tarifa.

As Tarifa grew older, she realized that she was fortunate. She had parents who had always worked hard to keep her sheltered, fed, and clothed. She had also grown up in a community that embraced each other and were there for one another, and this is when she began to notice that there were people out there that seemingly did not have the good fortune she had and she did not find that fair. She wanted to help.

“I want to give back whatever time, energy, motivation that I can so they have the same things I have. I believe that everybody deserves that. It’s just like a human right. You shouldn’t be left out just because you can’t afford it,” said Tarifa. Having understood the importance of what her grandfather did for the Bolivian community and raised awareness, Tarifa grew passionate about spreading awareness of her own to highlight the importance of food and housing insecurity in our community and how to help those who are less fortunate. After taking a political science on campus, Tarifa began to find ways to reach out and help the community in need. She began volunteering with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority where she found that the homeless population was on the rise and it strengthened her resolve to make a difference. She became the homeless liaison for the Northridge West Neighborhood Council, a position in which she researches about services, programs and events that benefit the homeless population of her neighborhood.

Gisela Tarifa, Associated Students Organization senator, stands near a tree in Rocky Young Park at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Nov. 8, 2017.

In the summer, a study from the LACCD came out that stated that 1 in 5 LACCD students suffered from food and housing insecurity, and that is where Tarifa began working on a plan to tackle to problem of food and housing insecurity at Pierce College.

Alongside ASO President, Efren Lopez, Tarifa co-created the Brahma Initiative, an initiative that focuses on the food and housing insecurities of Pierce College and spreads awareness of this problem and how to work on minimizing these problems for students.

“It’s to make sure that the students have resources or have something attainable that they need that helps them try to be successful in their academic careers,” said Tarifa.

Efren Lopez explained that the initiative was an extension of Tarifa and her personality, and that he believes that she feels the need to help others.

“She’s committed to what she believes in and what she believes in is being generous, bringing an approach of help to those who are not as privileged. She extends her personality into her work and how passionate she is,” said Lopez.

ASO Club Council President, Kosar Afsari, also explained that Tarifa is determined to succeed and that she is proud of what she is doing for the school.

“I’ll sound like a mother, but when I look at her, I am proud. We have new senators but she’s the one that really stands out. She’s the one that has passion, she goes for it, she makes things happen, she doesn’t let things get her down,” said Afsari.

The plan is made up of five steps in which ASO lays out the goals of the initiative.

These five steps are creating awareness of food and housing insecurities, establishing information resources on campus, expanding the St.A.S.H pantry, working with homeless organizations and offices and lobbying and advocacy.

The initiative has hosted an event in the Halloween Donation Drive, in which ASO had students donate costumes and clothing to donate to students who may have needed articles of clothes to complete costumes or simply needed clothing for other use. The drive ran throughout October on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in which red bins were set up for students to donate by sizes. The clothing was donated to students and remainders of the women’s donations were donated to the Good Shepherd Center in Los Angeles.

The initiative has plans to host a food drive in November to benefit the St.A.S.H pantry and to once again create a discussion among students about food and housing insecurities.

The future for Gisela Tarifa is full of plans to continue helping others, and full of hopes of bettering the campus community as well as the neighborhoods and communities that surround the school. Tarifa hopes to learn more as she helps more as well.