We Love Long Beach

“I am resolved to be dedicated to helping people and our community to do better,” says Omar Mayorga, a 17-year-old senior at Millikan High School and participant in the school-sponsored FOCUS (Finding Opportunities to Create Unity through Service). “I love being a part of the class. A lot of times it is easy for people to just talk about creating change and doing something good on campus or in the community. With FOCUS, we not only discuss the events, we also accomplish them.”

Growing up on Long Beach’s Westside, Mayorga, the youngest of five children, watched his mother take on the task of providing for her family as single parent. “We saw a bunch of stuff growing up: gangs forming and how people treated us differently because of my ethnicity and where I lived,” he recalls. The gang lifestyle was always presented as an option. “In 2006 my cousin passed away because of gang violence. That is when it hit me: I didn’t want to take the path of my cousin.”

As a freshman, a teacher invited him to a local fundraiser 5K beach walk to raise money for the Children’s Clinic in Long Beach. “This event motivated me to want to help people. I saw some of the families in need at the event, and I knew that I needed to step up,” says Mayorga. He continues to plan service events with his FOCUS class, and next year he plans on attending LBCC in order to get his Associates’ degree in culinary arts. “All I know is that I want my life to be remembered for doing something that matters in the community. I want that to be my legacy.”