Mia Legaspi-Cavin

In 2019, Mia joined Vera’s Center on Youth Justice as a program associate working on the Restoring Promise Initiative. Prior to working with Vera, Mia spent nearly five years with the Osborne Association as program manager for the young adult mentoring programs. During her tenure at Osborne she focused her empowerment model through prioritization of leadership development with credible messengers, by adding an employment component to programming, and organizing city-wide peer leadership opportunities for young adults. Mia has also worked on an NYC-based action research project (YPAR) wherein success is shaped by partnership between young adults and the project team to best address systemic barriers that disproportionately affect their communities.

Mia’s interests are in systems change by means of impact-led and rights-based advocacy, youth adult partnership development, and implementation of healing practices in traditionally toxic environments. She is a strong believer that those who are most impacted by the systems should inform and shape policy, and program development. Mia received a B.A. in Spanish and Law, Societies & Justice at the University of Washington. She received her M.A. in Youth Studies at the CUNY School of Professional Studies.