Human Services Coalition
continued

Though Austin says she has "always been a child advocate," her professional journey has been "a relay," including legs at the Organization of American States and the National Audubon Society. In these jobs, her interest was in cultivating leadership and working with young people, so it was not difficult to transition into her new position as director of a community center focused on youth development.

 
PLTI grads singing "Good Job, good Job"
PLTI grads singing "Good Job, Good Job"
TACOLCY is a close partner of HSC: it is a site for the Neighborhood Leadership Program and has hosted Public Allies. "The values HSC has are very much aligned with TACOLCY's and my personal values," Austin said.

 
Now Austin is diving into the political arena as a candidate for Commissioner for the City of Miami, District 5. She recalls the incident that "sparked her motivation" to run for office: a high school senior who had failed the FCAT three times reached out for help, insisting that she needed to graduate high school so she could go to college. As a result of that conversation, TACOLCY began offering one-on-one FCAT tutoring. Austin realized that while she could touch hundreds of lives through her work at TACOLCY, as a policy maker she would be in a position to impact thousands more.