Maripas Jacobo has always had a love for her hometown community of Oxnard & was a driving force behind her love for service. Jacobo says that many times growing up, she was aware of the negative stereotypes that surrounded her community but expressed that she always took pride in her Oxnard roots. The 2016 elections opened her eyes to the injustices her community faced & it made her want to take action. At the time, she knew she wanted to be a part of the solution, which led her to be a congressional intern for Nanette Diaz Barrágan.
When Jacobo enrolled at San Jose State, she said she felt homesick. She recounts being worried about coming home but was met with open arms. She went back to Ventura College & took as many classes as she could to be able to transfer on time. She then transferred to Cal State Channel Islands (CI) & wanted to get deeply involved in her community. She said that because she had bounced around so much, she wanted to make her time at CI count & wanted to truly be a part of her CI community. So she joined Sigma Omega Nu, or the “Sunnies”, a Latina interest sorority where she continued her acts of service.
Jacobo graduated in Fall 2021 with a degree in Chicana/o Studies & Environmental Science & Resource Management. She said that it encompasses her passions, her culture, and the environment. Jacobo says that she likes environmental science because of the beauty of the land that surrounds Oxnard & is now a board member of an organization called Coastal Keepers, which works to conduct beach cleaning opportunities. Coastal Keepers started with friends getting together to clean the beach on weekends & then evolved to something even greater. She said that they also go to schools to talk about environmental issues that surround their community. Her favorite part of the service she does with Coastal Keepers is educating children & watching them light up when they see the beach. It allows the opportunity for them to feel like heroes for the day & feel like they are doing something great to heal the planet.
Jacobo says a large part of why she loves service is because it helps her community. It brings her joy & brings out aspects of her personality that she doesn’t always get to share. When asked about Coastal Keepers & their goal for the next five years, she says that she hopes they become an official 501(c)3 & keep the organization growing.