Breaking the Cycle, Building the Future with Angelica Urrutia

In this powerful episode of the Radical Hope Project podcast, host Vanessa Cervantes welcomes Angelica Urrutia, a passionate advocate for education and fellow MSW student at Cal State Long Beach. Angie shares her deeply personal story of resilience, growing up in a household marked by poverty, instability, and domestic violence. As the eldest of four, she found refuge in school and dedicated herself to being a role model, breaking generational cycles through education and advocacy.

The conversation explores themes of counter-storytelling, critical race theory, intersectionality, and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—all through the lens of lived experience. Angie reflects on her journey, the mentors who supported her, and how she now uses her role in education to empower underserved students. Her message is one of radical hope, healing, and the transformative power of connection, representation, and belief in others. It is a call to nurture our youth and support them in dreaming big.