Below are testimonials from NMAC's 2011 USCA Youth Scholars, who we brought to the conference in Chicago with the generous support of ViiV Healthcare to help foster and develop leadership among the nation's young people to help END the HIV/AIDS epidemic!

Alex Aldana
Age: 24
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Organization: BIENESTAR

Immigrating to this country from Mexico has surely shown me the beauty of what this country has to offer, especially in terms of opportunities to live your dreams. It was with the same courage and a hope for a better future that led my parents to bring me to this country, that I attended the United States Conference on AIDS. It was not only a great privilege to attend the 2011 USCA, but also an amazing life-changing experience which brought me closer to my community, and inspired me even more to continue the work that I do in the HIV/AIDS field, especially my focus on youth of color.
    
The conference was so packed with great sessions that it was hard to figure out which one to attend. To make the most of my time, I decided to attend the ones that related to me and my work in the community. The first session I was able to attend was the Latino Institute, hosted by members of the National Latino AIDS Action Network. During this workshop I met different Latino colleagues from all over the country whose work addressed different concerns I had, especially in terms of gaps in services facing our community. One of the most heated discussion points that I was pleased to bring to the table, was the way we were going to address those who lack a voice in voting for policy change in elections: The Undocumented Community. I shared some local concerns/gaps to help others see how the undocumented HIV positive Latinos suffer from extreme disparities related to living with HIV, not being able to access services and also living with fear of deportation.
    
I never thought I would attend a lunch full of queer youth with speakers like Don Lemon. His leadership in hosting the plenary luncheon that targeted USCA 2011’s target population: Gay Men, made it quite entertaining. I was pleased to hear from David Furnish, from the Elton John AIDS Foundation who gave a very moving and empowering speech which confirmed even more the foundation of my passion while working with gay youth. I learned that 75% of HIV positive cases are males while 65.7% of them are among Men having Sex with Men (MSM). One particular moment I rejoiced was when I had the opportunity to meet former Project Runway contestant Mondo Guerra, with a fabulous speech about what it is like to be queer Latino and HIV positive in a conservative family.
   
One of my favorite moments was when I got to meet the local queer youth of Chicago -- Jose “Che-che” from CALOR Latino LGBT organization. I was very touched by the reception at the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, which included great people, art exhibits, with its hint of queer art throughout its walls.  To close the night, I witnessed the fabulous flavor of some local drag queens involved with HIV/AIDS advocacy in the area, making it the most amazing cultural experience with queer Latino youth in town.
    
The Windy City was a completely breathtaking experience. Back on my battle field in Los Angeles, the best weapons I took from the conference were to “Unite, Speak and Act” not only as a health advocate, but also as a community member.  USCA 2011 helped me gain tools in prevention for my interventions, helped me learn how to address needed policy changes that impact funding in my community, and most importantly, motivated me to inspire other youth, future leaders of this community, to commit to fight HIV/AIDS disparities across the spectrum of diversity and end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Bryan Bautista
Bio for Youth Leader Feature
Age: 22
Location: Seattle, WA
Organization(s): ¡Yo soy!, MEChA de UW, Lifelong AIDS Alliance

First and foremost, I’d like to say that I am incredibly grateful having been granted this amazing opportunity. Being at the USCA conference this year gave me so many things. In addition to feeling connected to the HIV/AIDS community, I found a higher purpose in serving my community, empowerment from attending the sessions and learning from leaders all over the world. I saw the beauty in resisting and fighting back against this virus as a collective unit, and the way society treats HIV positive people. Lastly, I found strength within myself. This strength will help me continue to contribute a better world for all people.

My favorite session by far was the Sex Factor session. In it, the panelists were asked to respond to questions posted and posed on Facebook regarding HIV/AIDS and related issues. This experience was powerful because all of the panelists were young, queer men. All of them were incredibly eloquent speakers and provided the kind of insider perspective that is often neglected in discussions regarding this virus. For me, it is incredibly important to hear the personal narratives of people that are living with this virus in order to better understand its larger societal effects. I gained a new perspective on a range of issues and learned about some things that I had never even heard of before. Issues like HIV “chasers” or men that intentionally expose themselves to HIV in order to purposefully contract the virus was something that I had very little perspective on, but learned a lot about. I also really liked that this session was interactive; not only with the audience that attended the session, but also with people online. I believe that this helped eliminate audience hesitancy and boost participation. I also really appreciated that the majority of the panelists, nearly all of them in fact, were men of color. I cannot stress the importance of gathering a group of panelists that comprise or reflect the general population that is the most likely to be infected with the virus. Their perspective is crucial if we wish to end this pandemic because they are the target population.

I also really enjoyed all of the speakers at the luncheons and dinners. The range of their expertise was so vast and diverse that I was floored by each presentation. My favorite by far was the Game Changer plenary luncheon and Phil Wilson’s speech.  His presentation was empowering as well as thought provoking. It was disheartening as well as inspirational. It really impacted my view and changed the way I felt about the virus and the ways it affected populations in the 80s as opposed to now. At that moment, I felt truly connected to this community; I became a part of it and it became a part of me.

In terms of implementing what I have learned from this conference, I feel that I do that on a daily basis. Gone are any notions of mine that I could not be an advocate in my professional career. I used to think that my involvement was going to be strictly grassroots oriented and outreach work, but after seeing the different ways in which people have made a career off of helping to end this virus, I know that my work can continue in ways that will keep my inspired and passionate, as well as help me to give back to my community. I’ve already done three presentations based on my experience at the conference and plan to do another soon. I’ve begun to implement practices and vocabulary that I learned at the conference in my organizations: MEChA, ¡Yo soy! And I’ve done a presentation at my university’s (Univ. of Washington-Seattle) QCenter (our GLBTQ center).  I plan to go into Public Policy work for my master’s degree with a focus on social policy. My goal is to create and defend policy work regarding HIV affected populations in order to eliminate stigma and inequitable practices that keep populations from receiving the treatment they deserve. And finally, I will always keep working on helping others to protect themselves by helping them assess their risk and teaching them to care for themselves.

I thank you for taking the time to learn about me and granting me this amazing scholarship. I hope that programs like this can continue until we’ve reached our goals: no more new infections and a world without HIV/AIDS.

Jonathan Christian Fernandez
Age: 22
Location: Miami, Florida
Organization: FIU nursing - SALSA

The 2011 U.S. Conference on AIDS opened my eyes to a larger community than what I knew from the little organizations that are housed in Miami, FL. I met a great amount of people from places all over and was able to network with others I would never have thought I'd meet at the conference. The sessions were extremely informative.

One session that stood out the most to me -- more for the idea of accomplishing great things than by the evidence that supported it -- was titled "boyfriend university". This session changed my perspective on the reasons why men contract HIV and do not tell their partners about it. They brought up a good point about how gay men don't have the support system of the community to date and hold healthy relationships. Many of them live in fear and search for short temporary situations in which communication is really not necessary: hence, HIV spreads.

I brought this information back to my organization and we definitely plan to organize a workshop and introduce events on campus where we can facilitate communication and foster healthier relationships, based on trust and communication among young gay men and their partners, whether in casual sexual relationships or committed, monogamous ones.

The USCA inspired me so much to go back to my community and engage everyone in the changes that are transforming this movement. I keep in contact with all of the other youth participants and feel forever indebted to the knowledge ViiV health care and NMAC was able to provide me and my community. I feel stronger knowing there are others out there fighting the same battle with me —to end HIV and the stigma facing our communities.

Livingston Johnson
Age:24
Location: Atlanta, GA

As I waited patiently for a response from NMAC about my youth scholarship application, I spoke with colleagues and friends who had attended the USCA in the past and they shared how pleased they were with their experiences and the bounty of information they received. Their testimonials got me extremely excited to experience USCA for myself. Turns out, my experience at the USCA was just as amazing as they had made it sound.  It was something that I have not experienced before -- my head was hurting a little from all the knowledge that was being fed and shared! It is kind of hard to pick “one” thing that stood out to me -- there were so many things. The diversity and the sense of “oneness” that permeated the conference really had me flabbergasted? Going to the Redefining HIV plenary was the most powerful, eventful and emotional thing I have ever witnessed. The skit that that laid out a timeline from the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and depicted a future with no AIDS and man -- oh my God, it really made me cry.  But it was a joyful cry and thoughts of hope ran through my mind: a future without HIV/AIDS is a dream that will soon be a reality!

I believe as a body of people and as a community if we come together and acknowledge our differences while also focusing on our common mission, we can conquer anything!  But we cannot achieve that goal if we don’t include EVERYBODY and that’s what I learned when I sat in on a workshop focused on a community that is all too often ostracized for its internal and external differences, the transgender community. In this workshop, the moderators stressed that they are human just like everyone else and that they do not like to be categorized as MSM.  By listening to their stories, I became a voice for the transgender community. That’s what the USCA is all about -- it’s really about community and inclusion of all people, races, creeds, colors, ethnicities, sexualities, and genders. It was demonstrated when a tribe of American Indians made their presence known and let the world know that they are people too. Since the conference, I have attended numerous trainings on how to provide better services to those individuals who self identify as transgender. I also have improved on my outreach testing in nontraditional settings by discovering new ways to give someone an HIV test when not in an office type setting. Everyday as I am learning, I am teaching! I am my BROTHER’S/SISTER’S KEEPER!

Ijeamaka Okoye
Location: Washington, DC
Organization: The Women's Collective

I found myself dumbfounded on many occasions throughout the conference, constantly wondering to myself, “why me?”  I could not believe that at this age, I would be attending my first official conference, especially with me being a rookie to the field of HIV and AIDS.  The fact that I was chosen as a youth scholar gave me enough inspiration to make this a lifetime commitment to help end the fight against HIV and AIDS.

My first dose of influence took place on the day I arrived in Chicago.  After me and the other youth scholars went to dinner, me and one of them, Lawrence walked back to the hotel and we both opened up to one another.  He shared with me his story and from his story I gained wisdom and courage.  The following morning, I attended my first workshop entitled, “Office on Women’s Health Institute: I’m Every Woman- Diversity and Inclusivity within HIV/AIDS among Women in the United States” where the female pioneers in the HIV/AIDS field confirmed how much women are still being extremely affected by the epidemic.

A few days later I attended the film screening of “Many Women, One Voice” where African American women that reminded me of my mother, aunts and family friends describe how they were infected by HIV.  After my last tear dropped, I decided that I couldn’t allow this to continue happening to my community because one day it could very well be one of my friends, cousins, or God forbid, my mother.  To top off my very first conference experience, the human timeline that was performed at the plenary luncheon: “Game Changers-Redefining HIV” made the end to the epidemic look like it was within arms reach.  These incidences collectively reassured me that in order to attain an “AIDS-free generation”, I must continue to push for the attainment of high quality knowledge about sexual health, access to prevention and services, and help eliminate stigma.

The slogan for the conference was “Make change real. Unite. Speak. Act.”  As soon as I walked into the Sheraton hotel, I felt as if I belonged.  The USCA fostered a sense of community because although there were people from different walks of life, everyone was there to achieve one common goal.  And because of this, I always felt welcome in every environment that I walked into.  Without Paul Kawata’s generosity and my youth scholarship group’s support, my experience would have not been the same.  I can honestly say that the connections that were made at the conference will be long lasting.

The first thing that I did once I returned to Washington, D.C. was show my friends the “Many Women, One Voice” DVD that I received.  The DVD was nothing short of an eye-opener for them.   It is my personal goal to show at least 100 women that I associate myself with this DVD because they often think that they’re invisible because they self identify as “low risk.”  Also, at my job, I have done more recruitment for women and girls to get tested and educated about HIV/AIDS.  I have also helped organize three large events for World AIDS Day and I have been researching work opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa so that I can not only help my citizens here in the United States but also in my home country of Nigeria.  It is essential to take the time to help people who are at risk of slipping through the cracks of society.  I now know that in order to help others, I must give a little of myself to each person that I come into contact with as well as to others in need.

Tasha Campbell Parker
Age: 22
Location: Boston, MA
Organization: New Era

I would like to start off by again thanking NMAC and ViiV Healthcare for making the scholarships available and for selecting me as one of the recipients. I thought that the conference was great. It was a bit overwhelming for me because I wasn’t sure as what to expect, but it was truly amazing.

This was my first USCA conference and there was so much to take in. I wanted to make sure that I received as much information as possible at the conference that would prove useful to me and the youth that I work with. The work that I do primarily focuses on prevention, education and outreach. One workshop that I found interesting was, “Utilizing Digital Media and Networking for HIV Prevention with High Risk Youth” The presenters seem to really be using innovative tools and programs to captivate the youth’s attention around HIV/AIDS prevention and education.

My favorite roundtable was, “A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Design a Faith-Based HIV Prevention Program for African American mothers and daughters.” They really broke the information down in a setting where questions were able to be fully asked and answered. I always saw a huge gap between churches and testing but with their program I can see changes happening in the churches.

“The Forgotten Ones- The Last Generation: The Ballroom and Transgendered Population” was also a GREAT workshop.  It reminded me why I do this work. I have been around the Ballroom scene in Boston mostly as a volunteer and I could see and relate to what they were discussing.  The information and the vibe from the workshop were great.  They were all about not waiting for someone else to do something and making the change that you think is necessary yourself.  Even though they are not going to be able to make every single ball event drug, sex, and violence free, they are trying and they are giving and showing people the right tools to reduce their risk.

That’s how I feel about HIV/AIDS -- one person can’t do it all on their own but certain things need to be changed that are happening and we have to show people how to take care of themselves.

Attending the conference has heightened my sense of community because I was able to really get to know the rest of the scholarship recipients and other attendees. We got to bond and discovered the reasons why we are all doing this work. We saw that we work well as a team and that even though some of us work in different parts of the fields. As case managers, community workers, testers, outreach workers, we all understand the need for education and prevention within our age group.  We are trying to be proactive and get together in the near future and plan some events -- stay in touch and help each other as much as we can.  Again thank you for this life changing opportunity.

Kay-Diene (Kay) Robinson
Age: 22
Location: Orlando, FL
Organization: Hope and Help Center of Central Florida

My experience at the United States Conference on AIDS was an amazing adventure, to say the least. To have the opportunity to meet so many different people from so many walks of life; and to see how they contribute their talents, time, and resources to combat HIV is a beautiful and inspiring thing. Because I am new to this arena, the experience was a little overwhelming and intimidating at first but the people I had the privilege of meeting were very warm and inviting, especially the other youth scholars. NMAC was able to take ten strangers from different ethnic backgrounds, different walks of life, and with different stories and make them a family. With social media networking and cell phones we have been able to keep in touch as if we are long lost cousins that were recently reunited. Each one of us is making an impact in this field and we are able to continuously share that with each other through our unofficial Facebook group (Future) Youth Advisory Board and Council for NMAC.

One of the sessions I attended was the Latino Institute: Showcasing High Impact HIV Prevention Strategies and How to Package Mine… (Achieving the Goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy), I learned that like here in America, men who have sex with men (MSM) in Latin countries give the same reasons for why they do not use condoms or do not disclose their status to their partners: they do not want the stigma attached to them, “it does not feel the same”, or they do not want to be seen as gay. I was impressed with the amount of detail that each presenter/group put into their sessions. I was shocked to learn that the state of Florida was ahead of a lot of other states when it came to rapid testing. However, the most exciting information of all was to know that in ten (hopefully) years with early detection, early care and prevention, HIV will no longer be the epidemic it is today, but a thing of a dark and distant pass. I have begun using all that I have learned from the conference at some of the youth testing events that I have attended. The prevention team and I from the Hope and Help Center are trying to put together a Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Concert to get the youth in Central Florida to be more proactive instead of reactive towards HIV. I plan to use all of the information I have obtained from this conference and NMAC. I am hopeful that my experience from this conference will help me produce an acceptable abstract on youth and communication to attend the next conference. I would like to thank ViiV and NMAC for this unforgettable and noteworthy experience and for allowing me to meet such wonderful and inspirational people. I am beyond grateful.

Shateria L. Smith
Age: 21
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Organization: DreamTeam Organization & ChattanoogaCARES
    
When I applied for the NMAC & ViiV scholarship to attend the U.S. Conference on AIDS, I had no idea what to expect. Sure, I knew that I wanted to go and learn on a larger scale about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and what I could do to help; and I even knew that I wanted to see the sites in Chicago. However, I didn’t really know that I was signing up for an experience that would stay with me forever. What can you say about an experience that changed your life completely? Honestly, there are no words to express the gratitude and appreciation for the information, relationships, and connections that have come from the 2011 United States Conference on AIDS in Chicago, Illinois.

Everything about the conference itself was beyond words. I got to meet Paul Kawata, Phill Wilson, Dazon Dixon Diallo, Vanessa Williams, DreamGirl Jennifer Holiday, and Don Lemon! How honored was this small town girl from Chattanooga when meeting these big names both in this field and in the United States in general! I’d have to say the most powerful sessions that I went to were the Luncheon where they went through the timeline and the Many Women One Voice video screening and breakfast. Those two events really changed my perspective on the way the Virus is looked at by other people not affected by the disease.

While I was in Chicago, I went to speak to some girls of Diamonds in the Rough, an organization headed by Ms. Evany Turk who is HIV positive. I talked about my experiences and being affected by HIV/AIDS. It really makes me feel blessed to be able to tell people, especially young women and parents who are positive, about my story. Speaking to those girls reminded me of why I even wanted to go to Chicago. I knew that I wanted to tell my story to help someone else. Both of my parents passed away before I turned 12 years old. I’ve had to deal with shame, loneliness, and grief in ways that no one can understand. I knew that I wanted to share my life experiences because I was confident that it would encourage, inspire, or educate someone else.

The previous statement was not only my wish, but the aspiration of all of the youth scholarship recipients that were in attendance. We all had the common desire to tell our story and better the lives of those around us; so when we discuss “a sense of community” that was exactly what was exuding from everyone there! We all were there for the betterment of each other and I love that! It gives my heart great joy to know that even now after the conference is over, I still have my “scholarship siblings” calling to check on me and make sure I’m doing okay! I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet these young people and I know I have someplace to stay whenever I go to speak in any of their hometowns.

I plan to implement everything I learned by giving out the wonderful products and information that I received from the vendors and exhibitors. I also would like to start speaking and traveling more to educate people especially African Americans and women about the effects of HIV/AIDS. At the conclusion of the conference, the scholarship recipients had decided to form the unofficial NMAC Youth Leadership Council & Board and we hope to eventually do a tour and give scholarships to 10 other youth to go to the next USCA in Las Vegas!

I am very thankful for this outstanding opportunity! It was such a blessing and I brought back so much more than I came with! I hope to work with NMAC & ViiV within my local community because they rock!

Lawrence Stallworth II
Age: 20
Location: Cleveland, OH

The U.S. Conference on AIDS was an absolutely amazing experience. I met a number of wonderful and amazing people, many gay men of color just like myself, who do the same things, if not more, than I do in this field. This conference also gave me a glimpse of other youth who work in different parts of this field and how they implement strategies in their particular communities. I can honestly say that I am better for having met these wonderful and amazing people and having had this experience.

The session that influenced me the most was the first day’s session on emotional intelligence. It was so interesting to learn how, when you are put in certain situations, you can lose control of your actions. The conversation that followed provided insight into what other people view as problems in our community and some solutions or tools that we could use to correct them. The second plenary was also moving to me on a number of levels. To see the progression of HIV and the activism that followed the movement was inspiring and just reinforced why I do this work. Not to mention Phil Wilson’s heart-wrenching story of all those he had lost to their battle with HIV.

The USCA has fostered a sense of community by showing those who attend that they are not alone in this fight. We are just some of many people across the country with the will to do more and the fighting spirit to never settle for less. It was also amazing to see so many gay Black people like myself who love to do this work. I continue to advocate and publicly speak about HIV/AIDS and the need for people, like me, living with HIV to have continued support and access to services. I spoke at the United Nations on World AIDS Day 2011 to bring light to the needs of young people, in particular those of color, living with HIV and the need for us to be more involved in policy making; as we are the future.

I have become the youngest ever elected member of the Cleveland Pride Organization. I have spoken to the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS about the disparities we face in today’s society. I also gave the closing remarks for the Black Gay Men’s Townhall  hosted at the USCA. This was an amazing experience and I can’t be more grateful that I was given this opportunity and would love to attend the conference again next year, if possible.