Él Martinez (they/elle pronouns) is a 22-year-old community organizer, public health worker, multi-disciplinary artist, and consultant currently enrolled as a senior at Clark University majoring in Community, Youth, and Education Studies. Él describes themself as a queer, transgender, non-binary person of color. Él is Boricua (Puerto Rican) and several years into reconnecting to their indigenous Taíno Arawak ancestry. They are fluent in English and proficient in Spanish.

   In their early teens, Él's activism emerged out of the need for district-wide training in their public school system. Since then, their audiences have included youth, parents, teachers, nurses, politicians, non-profits, and corporate entities. Él has spoken on panels, delivered speeches, hosted trainings, and more on a variety of topics, from LGBTQ+ inclusivity to carceral abolition. Él has spent years using these skills for legislative advocacy in the state of Massachusetts on behalf of the "Gender X," "No New Women's Prison," "Healthy Youth Act," and "Overdose Prevention Center" initiatives.

   A notable through-line in Él's life and career is their involvement with LGBTQ+ programs and organizations. In youth, peer, and adult roles, they have participated in building community for queer youth of color for almost half their life. This foundation combined with Él's interest in youth wellbeing and the social determinants of health has led to their most recent projects: developing sex and drug education for queer youth with focuses on HIV/AIDS, consent and boundaries, and harm reduction.

Él is currently finishing their undergraduate degree at Clark University. Their thesis, "We Need to Talk About Drugs," studying drug use and emergency prevention in a college population is anticipated in August of 2024. In their spare time, Él enjoys contributing to local mutual aid efforts, going social dancing, and watching horror movies.