Helena was invited to be an inaugural member of this new and prestigious Commission in her hometown. She is the youngest Commissioner in the history of Long Beach. Gender-based inequities continue to persist despite decades of efforts for gender equality. In her hometown of Long Beach, CA, systemic inequalities have contributed to gender-based disparities, as 63% of Black women head of households are rent-burdened and White men earn nearly two times as much as Latinas. In response to these growing concerns, the City of Long Beach established the city’s first Commission for Women and Girls. The LBCWG will build partnerships with direct service providers and nonprofit organizations that will strengthen efforts to improve the quality of life among women and girls in Long Beach. Helena was proud that her lifelong feminist work resulted in Mayor Rex Richardson reaching out to invite Helena to this coveted city position.
As one of 12 recipients of a Global Youth Award, Helena was invited to the award’s Global Change Ambassador program. The Global Change Ambassadors represent three generations and different regions around the world. The Ambassadors are selected for their passion, talents, and ability to galvanize local communities to action. The program empowers Ambassadors through coaching, mentoring, and access to the global network so that they can deliver their projects and initiatives in alignment with the organization’s goals. Ambassadors are by invitation only and through winning a Global Youth Award. Helena won the Global Youth Award for Educational Leadership on November 19, 2023.
Because of Helena’s deep and rich connections with Appalachia, the President of WVU PSC invited her to serve on this important advisory panel.
Helena often speaks of the educators in her life who understand and accommodate her multiple – and invisible – learning disabilities as her “Champions.” Becky Pringle, the President of the NEA, was so taken with Helena’s concept of champions that the NEA has partnered with Helena to do a national campaign with her to reach the NEA’s 3 million educators with important information about disability rights and inclusion.
Helena joins a team to develop and write a new Disability Justice Certificate program. She is joined by her Dad - Jeff Sapp, her Papa – Sino Donato, Dr. Jenny Chiappe – Professor of Special Education, and Dr. Conrad Oh Young, Professor of Special Education.
After a year of being on the GLI Feminist Focus Blog Team and producing seven blog posts (only two were required of each team member), Helena pitched to GLI leadership that she be elevated to the role of Senior Blog Team Writer and she will guide other teenage young women to elevate their agency and voices for social change.
The GLI Student Advisory Board (SAB) is a nationwide board made up of student representatives from GLI Chapters in six regional areas across the nation. The SAB works together to lead and set the agenda for Regional Meetings, serves as primary liaison between students and GLI Staff, and represents their region during Student Advisory Board meetings held throughout the school year. Helena was invited to this position by GLI Staff Leadership!
Helena is a 2022 Honoree for the D-30 List and was invited by the Diversability’s leadership to apply to be a judge this year. In this role, Helena will review some 300 applications and help choose the 30 disability activists to be honored for this esteemed global recognition for 2023.
Helena has been invited to join the leadership of The Disability-Centered Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies Project. This project noted how the global pandemic heightened inequities across disability, race, culture, and language and how disabled folx of color were already advocating for racial and disability justice and accessibility. This project aims to address these critical inequities by co-constructing intentional, responsive, and accessible curriculum for teachers and future teachers. The aim is to shift their beliefs about disability at the intersections and subsequently inform their future practices in P-12 classroom spaces. This team will work together for a year during the 2023-2024 academic school year. Helena has been invited to join a team that includes Lydia X. Z. Brown, Brianna Dickens, Tiny (Lisa) Gray-Garcia, Keith Jones, Dr. Saili S. Kulkarni, Lateef Mcleod, Dr. Amanda L. Miller, Leroy F. Moore, Jr. Dr. Emily A. Nusbaum, and Dr. Holly Pearson.
Helena is the invited youth activist to this team of scholars and activist who include Saili Kulkarni (Project Director), Sudha Krishnan (Project Lead), Leroy Moore, Lydia X. Z. Brown, and Emily Nusbaum. Project outcomes include: (1) Building a Disability Studies Minor, (2) Serving as a Disability-Centered Research Hub, and (3) Developing a Repository of Speakers and Leaders.
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