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Stacy Yung and Virginia Nguyen, and Dr. Alberto J. Román, are 2024’s Local Heroes honorees. They were chosen from a group of incredible people nominated by PBS SoCal’s Community Advisory Board for their tireless advocacy work and devotion to their communities.

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Local Heroes

Meet the Local Heroes 2024 Nominees and Honorees

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Local Heroes

Local Heroes: Stacy Yung and Virginia Nguyen

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Local Heroes

Local Hero: Dr. Alberto J. Román

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Asian American woman with short, salt and pepper hair, wearing a blouse and sweater in shades of light green, smiles and leans against a wall.

Local Hero: Honoree Marjorie Lee, Archiving AAPI Heroism

Marjorie Lee is the library coordinator, information specialist and archivist at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. She is also a 2022 Local Heroes Honoree.

Local Hero: Helen Iris Torres, Inspiring Latina Leaders

Helen Iris Torres is the CEO of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality.

Asian American woman in a rust colored blouse, red lipstick and wire-rimmed glasses smiles slightly at the camera

Local Hero: Ellen Ahn, Providing Hope in Orange County

Ellen Ahn is the executive director of Korean Community Services (KCS), which has provided free healthcare services to low-income and uninsured people in Orange County since the 1990s.

Broad-shouldered Asian American man with short hair smiles at the camera. He is wearing a military uniform and there is an American flag behind him.

Local Hero: Victor Shen, Promoting Diversity in the Army

Victor Shen works to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the Army profession and educates his community's students about opportunities, scholarships and programs.

A Black woman wearing gold jewelry looks calmly away from the camera

Local Hero: Honoree Cynthia "Big Mama" Mendenhall, Local Angel

Cynthia "Big Mama" Mendenhall is the founder of Watts Chosen Angels. She is also a 2022 Local Heroes Honoree.

Young man at a park in a dark suit smiles at the camera

Local Hero: Christian Esteban, Advocate for Students

Christian Esteban is the executive director of JOYA Scholars, which serves students in Fullerton and provides mentoring, tutoring, college application preparation services and more.

A woman in West African dress (including a long, white garment and matching headscarf) sits among West African drums adorned with colorful rope.

Local Hero: Rene Fisher Mims, Healing Through Drums

Rene Fisher-Mims established S.H.I.N.E. MUWASI to spread knowledge of West African drum culture to women in her community.

An Asian woman with shoulder-length hair that flips up at the ends is turned slightly towards the camera against a beige backdrop, wearing a loose-fitting peach-colored top with a scoop neckline and a multi-colored floral pattern

Local Hero: Florence Lin, Reaching Asian Communities With Vital Resources

Florence Lin is a 2023 Local Heroes nominee for her work in community outreach and education at Asian Youth Center in Los Angeles, which includes providing bilingual resources to those who speak Mandarin and corresponding with Chinese media outlets.

Meet the Local Heroes 2023 Nominees and Honorees

Meet the Local Heroes 2023 nominees, as well as this year's honorees — Brandon Tsay and Meymuna Hussein-Cattan.

Chancee Martorell of the Thai Community Development Center

Local Hero: Honoree Chancee Martorell, Advocate for the Thai Community

Chancee Martorell is the executive director of the Thai Community Development Center, which she founded in 1994, to improve the lives of Thai immigrants.