On Thursday, September 29, 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, representing a range of professions and activism. The Post will be profiling each honoree in the coming days

As Long Beach City Councilmember Lena Gonzalez’s chief of staff, Cory Allen has grown to know Long Beach inside and out. Which isn’t that surprising, coming from a man who has tirelessly advocated for the LGBTQ community as the executive board member and president of the Long Beach Lambda Democratic Club, working to elect LGBTQ and straight-allied policymakers to all levels of government.

According to his nominators, who describe him as “passionate,” Allen has spearheaded membership growth at the Lambda Democratic Club to its largest membership in over a decade. His passion has led him to become one of the youngest regional vice chairs in the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

“It is an amazing feeling to know that the work I have done in my community over the past 10 years caught someone’s attention enough to recognize me with this award,” said Allen.

Beyond his policy expertise with the office of Lena Gonzalez, Allen has worked for the International Imperial Court of Long Beach, and as a consultant for State Senator Ricardo Lara on the Ports and Goods Movement.

He said he’s proud to contribute to Long Beach and wouldn’t live anywhere else. He’s proud to live in a community brimming with LGBTQ resources, something he would never have heard of, growing up in a rural town in Central California.

“The best part of Long Beach is its diversity,” said Allen. “I am privileged to have friends from a variety ethnicities, genders, sexualities and physical abilities. Each one of them inspire me and challenge me in different ways to make me a better individual.

This report was updated on 11/1/16 at 4:57PM with correct information about Allen’s work with the POLB.