On Thursday, April 25, the Long Beach Post hosted an event to honor young people from around the city who are doing great things to better their community and beyond. Out of hundreds of nominations from our readers, judges chose 40 winners who run the gamut from educators to artists to business owners to community activists, all of whom represent just a selection of those who are today contributing to the betterment of Long Beach.

The daughter of an immigrant mother, Lena graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in political science and went on to earn her Masters of Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University. Lena has helped with numerous beautification projects in the Downtown area and has volunteered at the Orange Country Probation Department where she mentored troubled youth. She is currently serving on committees for the American Cancer Society and Corazon.org, an organization in Mexico that helps impoverished families.