I am ElizahMarie Ronquillo but I usually go with Elizah for short. I was born and raised in Northern California. I got to grow up in different neighborhoods all over the Bay Area but my family settled in East Side San Jose. 

When it comes to my hobbies, I tend to pick up random arts and crafts projects. Some of my recent skills that I’ve picked up over the past few years would be crocheting and now baking sourdough. During my free time, I like to enjoy my quality time with my loved ones. Whether we are playing games at someone's house or out exploring a new spot in the Silicon Valley/ Bay Area.

 I am currently enrolled at West Valley College as a Women, Gender and Queer studies and a Liberal Arts: Social and Behavioral Sciences major.

After graduating high school in 2019, I wasn’t too sure where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to get into a field that helped people and helped them feel better about themselves. The only thing I was able to think about was the medical field. So in the fall of 2019, I joined a Medical Assisting program and graduated in 2020. 

While being a medical assistant during the peak of Covid, my family went through other serious medical situations. Which all led me to quitting my medical assisting job to help with taking care of some of my family members. 

As I helped care for my family, I decided to go back to school and get my Associates degree since I had the chance. I applied to go back to school, initially to give myself an experience that I didn’t think I’d ever have. But also knowing that gaining higher education will help guide me and also allow me to meet new people. 

I initially chose my majors as a Women, Gender and Queer studies major purely because it sounded interesting and it helped me know more about those in the community. The more I learned about gender and queer theory, I realized I wanted to learn more about the indifference of both topics and help spread more awareness. Later, I added Liberal Arts: Social and Behavioral Science to my major, helping me expand and gain my knowledge in which I can continue to assist and give back to my community.