Most teenagers throughout the country are not packed in, in the 100s, inside of a public library on a Saturday morning at 9 am. The Salinas Valley Dream Academy has found a culturally empowering way to bring 1st generation students together, gathered inside a library space, creating real community, as they learn about college and beyond, participate in civic engagement projects, lead and envision a new world being possible. To walk in on a Saturday means you witness hope manifested in the mantra that youth are our present, a gift, and their wisdom is welcomed here. I have been an educator for 23+ years and there are very few spaces like this in the country where dreams are given the real support to manifest into reality. If this means flying 100 youth, 3000 miles away to visit and apply to Harvard, that’s what they do, and so much more. This is a space worth championing every which way.