WHO WE ARE

CO-FOUNDER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Alexander Finn is a poet, husband, father,  author, public high school teacher, mentor, and proud Bay Area native. Born and raised in the 925 in a devout football family, Finn descends from Mexican Californios, Irish immigrants, and the Xolon Salinan people of California’s central coast. A teacher of Creative Writing and Ethnic Studies, Finn lives in Pittsburg where he has been planting seeds and tending his community since 2015. In addition to being the 2023 Youth Speaks Radical Educator Award recipient, and the 2024 PUSD Equity Awardee, Finn coaches one of the top youth poetry teams in the country, The Pittsburg Prodigies, who recently had back-to-back Brave New Voices appearances. After 9 years of youth poetry and arts education development in Pittsburg, Finn is the Executive Director and co-founder of the alumni-created nonprofit, In My Section. He has two published collections of poetry from 2019 and 2021, with a 3rd arriving by the end of 2025. He is proud to honor his ancestral legacies of culture keeping, creating, and inspiring young people to leverage their gifts for a brighter future and a stronger community. READ BIO & CV HERE

DEPUTY DIRECTOR
IMS AMBASSADOR

Gabriel Perez Cano is a Chicano college student who majors in Chicano Studies and is pursuing to become an educator for both public schools and universities. Born and raised in the Bay Area to a family of immigrants from the municipality of Pénjamo Guanajuato Mexico. He is one of the founding members of the Pittsburg Prodigious who’s brought attention to La Raza with his powerful spoken word. He’s apart of several clubs and programs such as puente and LatinE club in Los Medanos College and is currently trying to transfer to UC Riverside, UC Santa Cruz Cal Eastbay, or UC Berkeley. READ BIO / RESUME HERE

CO-FOUNDER
PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Jordan (jojo) Cisneros is a poet, creative writing mentor and behavioral technician based in the 925, where she was raised. Jojo was born into mixed descent with inheritance from the Hopi tribe of Arizona and Guadalajara Mexico by her father and Creole roots from her mother. Jojo resides in Pittsburg in the town that holds her entire upbringing. Jojo was a two-time top 5 finalist in the Bay Area youth poetry competition and a 2 time contestant in the biggest national Poetry competition BRAVE NEW VOICES. READ BIO/ RESUME HERE

RESIDENT DJ
IMS AMBASSADOR

Jazmin brings with her a background in education and commitment to community empowerment. Her experience as a bilingual instructional assistant, followed by her time as a teacher at Pittsburg High, inspired her to pursue her current role as an educational administrator. Hernandez's dedication to empowering others is deeply rooted in heritage; having been born in San Jose, CA, to two immigrants from Michoacan, Mexico and proudly representing the Purépecha people. This influence of her upbringing and continued advocacy for the community instilled in her a profound sense of mission and liberation, which she continues to uphold. 

Tina Kumar was born and raised in Fiji and immigrated to California in May 2000. She holds a B.A. in English from Humboldt State University and a Master of Arts in Education from California State University, Chico. As a passionate middle and high school English teacher, Tina loves both learning and teaching. She is especially inspired by the power of storytelling—how the stories we tell about where we come from shape our understanding of people, places, and the world around us.

My name is D.B. Moments and I’m from Antioch, California. I’ve been making music since I was 7 years old, but just started taking it seriously as of December 2020.

Since then, I have competed in Rap competitions, went viral multiple times on TikTok and Instagram, and networked with some of the biggest names in the game.

My biggest inspirations are J.Cole (for his lyricism), Drake (for his Versatility and relatability), and BabyTron (for his punchlines).

Now, my goal is to use my skills and personal life experiences to create music that can relate to the Masses. I want people to hear my songs and get chills, I also want people to relate to me as a person, so any emotions I put into my art will be a place for someone to visit.