Ismael Morales
Ismael, affectionately called Ish amongst his peers, friends, and colleagues, has been working in HIV prevention, education, and testing for ten years. Having been involved in every aspect of the HIV realm –from administrative work to pilot projects, youth program management to HIV/STD testing — Ish felt that The Center Long Beach gave him the ultimate goal in his desire to reach more: he has the privilege to say that his program at The Center was developed from scratch — and he has watched it grow into the much-needed program it is now. The dream of his own program came seemingly from nowhere, as he simply responded to an ad at The Center, and moved from Hollywood five years ago.
At the core, Ish’s wishes are simple: to have a healthier, more engaged, more informed society — but these goals are not just endeavors that happen overnight or without hard work. This is something he openly recognizes, “I am not one to gloat or do things for attention. I love the work that The Center is doing, thousands of people come through our doors looking for something they need and I am very proud to be part of the team that is there to give it to them. I am proud of our Board of Directors, who as volunteers, do so much more than any other board that I know of. Their selflessness motivates me to do the work that I do, not for the salary or recognition but for the impact we are making on the community, not just the LGBT community for the City as a whole. I am proud to represent my new hometown — I love Long Beach.”
While his technical side is driven to provide those who are HIV positive to seek medical attention, to provide rapid HIV tests, and to work with programs such as St. Mary’s C.A.R.E. program, his passion resides in speaking to the youth and informing them of their risks and eventually getting a free STD testing program functioning at The Center.