One of the major highlights on our LA trip was the CLI Banquet to honor four special people who represent LA to the fullest, Sophay Ferriera, Donovan Autajay, Victor Mckamie, and Kristina Tran. I have watched my fellow comrades grow in such an amazing way through R2W as well as CLI. With weeks leading up to the banquet, we were trying to brainstorm and see where we could hold this event. Sophay came up with the idea of having it at the youth community center in her hometown, Echo Park. We're use to having these banquets at fancy restaurants with catered food. My banquet was at the Sam Woo restaurant in Pasadena. But this banquet was different. Seeing that all four CLI graduates went to high school in Downtown LA, Sophay felt it was only right to hold their banquet in a place where it represented them. She was definitely right. After pulling things together till the very last minute, we were able to improvise with what we had to make it work. The hall is not very big but we were able to move the furniture around and make decorations for the tables. There were a good number of people there, and dinner was not a problem, as I'm sure the guests enjoyed the hawaiian barbeque we had catered. It was truly an honor to acknowledge each individual as a graduate of CLI. I'm sure it meant a lot to each graduate's family member, former high school teacher/counselor, and friends to see how much they have grown. It made me feel grounded, seeing how far they have each come on their journeys of life in a place where it helped them become leaders and develop consciousness. I was able to meet many friends and family of each graduate. This banquet felt very homemade, very real, connected to the community. It definitely represented Sophay, Victor, Donovan, and Krisitina. More importantly, they represented their families and communities. It was a memorable night.
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