“After graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies, I served the Samoan government as the first resident climate change officer developing programs to address the country’s vulnerabilities to climate change and meet its obligations to the United Nations. When my family and I moved to Sunnyvale in 2005, I looked for like-minded environmentalists and found my community in Green Foothills’ Community Advocates Leadership Academy (CALA). With this training program and alumni network, I learned how to navigate the local political system effectively and build collaboration and networks with tools and support from the CALA community. As a result, last September I founded Climate Resilient Communities to cultivate environmental awareness and build stronger alliances and capacity in frontline communities like East Palo Alto, Belle Haven and North Fair Oaks to strengthen resilience against climate change and sea-level rise.