Sam Gonzalez

In Sam's Words

Overall, I've had such an amazing experience with Maven Youth, as an attendee and a Youth Leader. It was incredible to see the camp and organization grow and evolve over the years, especially knowing that I had a hand in doing so too. I learned a lot about who I am and what I want to do with my life. Before Maven Youth, I was heavily questioning who I was, what my identity was. Because of my fellow youth leaders and my experience with Maven Youth, I was able to explore just the type of person I want to be. I also learned my passion for character design and concept art. Even before Maven Youth, I had a very loose idea of what I wanted to do with my artistic skills but I just wasn't sure what exactly I had wanted to do. Now, I can say confidently that I want to become a concept artist for a video game company and that was because I had the opportunity to learn and explore.

Maven Youth will always be such a unique experience to me. One that I can't wait for so many others to experience as well. It may not be for everyone, and that's completely okay, but I know for me, being a part of Maven Youth has been something that I will always cherish.

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Sam has led camps in San Francisco, Austin, and Chicago with Maven Youth. After their first year as a youth leader, they worked as an intern and graphic designer at The Hetrick-Martin Institute. They continued their involvement with Maven Youth through various internship positions.