Meet A Future Leader In Watsonville: Madeline Aliah

The future of Watsonville is looking bright, thanks to the incredible young people working to strengthen our community. In partnership with T-Mobile, Patch is proud to spotlight future leaders like Madeline Aliah, who are making a positive impact in and around Watsonville.

Madeline Aliah, a young poet and senior at Cypress High School, released her debut chapbook, “This Is My Body: Poems by a Teen Trans Fem,” just before her 18th birthday. Her TEDx Santa Cruz Talk about creating safe spaces reached a global audience, and she actively works with the Queer Trans Youth Council (QTYC) on social justice projects, including creating the film “Pronouns in the Wild” for educators. She is also a member of Writers of Color (WOC) Santa Cruz.

WOC posted about Madeline’s leadership on their website, stating, “Aliah continues to use her voice, both spoken and written, to inspire empathy and understanding for trans people and to let trans kids know that they are not alone.”

Madeline was honored with the 2023 Santa Cruz County Parks Spotlight Award for Poetry and Prose and was recently appointed to the Santa Cruz Youth Poet Laureate Council. Watsonville's community continues to celebrate her advocacy, including her role as an emcee for the 2024 Queer Youth Leadership Awards and speaker at events like Pride flag-raisings and United Against Hate Week.

Congratulations, Madeline Aliah!

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