Divya Esperanto Seagales, a recent California State University, Long Beach graduate and Long Beach Public Service Corps fellow, described experiencing homelessness, unemployment and food insecurity before she joined the fellowship and urged others to use available resources.

Seagales said she had ‘‘dropped out of school’’ and was ‘‘facing a lot of instability with, like, homelessness.’’ She told listeners she had been ‘‘renting rooms, sleeping on couches [and] sleeping in my car’’ on some nights while dealing with unemployment and food insecurity.

She said she applied to the Long Beach Public Service Corps Fellowship ‘‘probably, like, the second to last day before the deadline’’ and, after an interview, was placed with the city’s Office of Youth Development. ‘‘I felt so confident after my first interview, and then I got placed with the office of youth development,’’ she said.

Seagales urged persistence and use of resources. ‘‘I would say definitely don't give up hope and use your resources. I would not be here if I didn't keep a right attitude every day asking questions, being curious, being inquisitive, not being afraid,’’ she said. She added that she approaches each day looking for improvement: ‘‘Every day, I just look at the next day coming up and how it can be better than before.’’

At the end of her remarks she said, "Join California Service Corps today." (The speaker used the phrase "California Service Corps" in the transcript; the program commonly appears in public materials as California Volunteers.)