Marika Tindall-Ralph was adopted from Guilin, China and raised in Seattle, WA. She comes to Washington, DC with high hopes of continuing her passion for youth advocacy and development. In the 3+ years prior to joining the Young Women's Project, she lived and worked in the country of Paraguay as a Peace Corps Community Economic Development Specialist, where she led numerous leadership and life planning workshops for young adults. Her love for working with youth and specifically youth in foster care stems from her work with the Aldeas Infantiles SOS (Youth Villages) in San Ignacio, Paraguay. Since her projects at the home became second priority to her job as Regional Volunteer Coordinator, she was unable to enact and create many lasting institutional changes within the organization itself. With a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Washington, she plans to use her experience at the Young Women's Project to gauge and assess her future career and/ or higher education goals. Aside from working with upbeat young people, Marika enjoys painting, dancing, and cooking for friends.