Antonio Ayala

Antonio, a rising senior at Gateway High School, has a long history of involvement in his community.  The seventeen-year-old, raised in San Francisco, just recently retired after two and a half years of service on the San Francisco Youth Commission, where he acted as both the Recreation and Services and Community Affairs officer.  This summer, he’s taking a break from city government to work as a junior counselor for Silver Tree Day Camp in Glen Park, and participate in the ACLU of Northern California’s Friedman Youth Project Summer Exploration investigating military recruitment myths and truths.

On the week-long trip, Antonio plans to bring along his camera to document his learning experience.  “I got a lot out of the trip last year and it was really eye-opening so I kind of wanted to do it again,” he said.    However, Antonio’s interest in the military is more than just academic. “Also, because a my brother served in the military over at Camp Pendleton before, I’m really interested in how the military-industrial complex works.  I know that my brother has never really been the same since he came back from the military, so I wanted to see from his perspective how it can change people.”

After high school, Antonio will decide between studying film editing or politics.