ADEL CARRERA

NONPROFIT FOUNDER

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Carrera grew up dancing at Hollywood High with the drill team and color guard. After graduating, she founded Dance Engagements in 2007, an organization dedicated to providing young dancers of all ages, shapes and sizes with dance education through camps, workshops and performances. “Whether they walk a little taller, have a little more confidence or go on to be on Broadway, I think that it’s important that us, as Latinos, are able to have those resources because dance can be a very intimidating space,” Carrera says. As someone who came to the U.S. at the age of 2 without documentation, she felt restricted in her own opportunities to dance abroad. After receiving protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, in 2015, she registered the organization as a 501(c) (3) to expand the opportunities she can pass on to future generations.

— Steven Vargas