Bermina is a proud Black Bostonian of Haitian descent that was raised and came of age in the Mattapan, Dorchester, Roxbury, and Hyde Park areas of Boston. As an adolescent, she constantly toiled with understanding how and why injustices occur, particularly those that exist within the neighborhoods she grew up in. It was this constant struggle that cemented her entry into local youth political activism, especially within the environmental sector. From her participation in climate protests to her past role on the Boston Mayor’s Youth Council, Bermina found hope for the future as a youth activist. That path led her to pursue and receive a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Political Science and African American and Black Diaspora Studies from Boston University. Throughout her college career, she worked for Boston University’s Sustainability department as a Zero Waste Ambassador, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Commercial Waste Branch as an intern, and the Marcus Anthony Hall Educational Institute as the Program Coordinator and Civic Education Teacher. Bermina deeply values youth advocacy, equitable access to quality education, racial equity, and environmental justice. She has dedicated her professional life to advancing the needs of her community, so she is excited about the prospect of pouring into the same neighborhoods that made her through her position as FICC’s new Community Engagement Manager.