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Stacy Yung and Virginia Nguyen, and Dr. Alberto J. Román, are 2024’s Local Heroes honorees. They were chosen from a group of incredible people nominated by PBS SoCal’s Community Advisory Board for their tireless advocacy work and devotion to their communities.

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Nominate a Local Hero!

PBS SoCal is looking for outstanding individuals who are providing great leadership and making significant contributions to improve and enrich the lives of others. Since 1998, the PBS SoCal Community Advisory Board (CAB) has paid tribute to exemplary leaders who are making a difference and enriching the lives of others by improving our community, region, and the world at large. We look forward to continuing this tradition today by recognizing local heroes who have performed exemplary deeds of service outside of their regular jobs.

Nominations must be received by Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Read more about Local Heroes nominee criteria & eligibility rules, FAQs about the nomination process and submit a nomination at the form below:

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Local Heroes

Meet the Local Heroes 2024 Nominees and Honorees

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Local Heroes

Local Heroes: Stacy Yung and Virginia Nguyen

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Local Heroes

Local Hero: Dr. Alberto J. Román

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A Black woman wearing gold jewelry looks calmly away from the camera

Local Hero: Honoree Cynthia "Big Mama" Mendenhall, Local Angel

Cynthia "Big Mama" Mendenhall is the founder of Watts Chosen Angels. She is also a 2022 Local Heroes Honoree.

Young man at a park in a dark suit smiles at the camera

Local Hero: Christian Esteban, Advocate for Students

Christian Esteban is the executive director of JOYA Scholars, which serves students in Fullerton and provides mentoring, tutoring, college application preparation services and more.

A woman in West African dress (including a long, white garment and matching headscarf) sits among West African drums adorned with colorful rope.

Local Hero: Rene Fisher Mims, Healing Through Drums

Rene Fisher-Mims established S.H.I.N.E. MUWASI to spread knowledge of West African drum culture to women in her community.

An Asian woman with shoulder-length hair that flips up at the ends is turned slightly towards the camera against a beige backdrop, wearing a loose-fitting peach-colored top with a scoop neckline and a multi-colored floral pattern

Local Hero: Florence Lin, Reaching Asian Communities With Vital Resources

Florence Lin is a 2023 Local Heroes nominee for her work in community outreach and education at Asian Youth Center in Los Angeles, which includes providing bilingual resources to those who speak Mandarin and corresponding with Chinese media outlets.

Meet the Local Heroes 2023 Nominees and Honorees

Meet the Local Heroes 2023 nominees, as well as this year's honorees — Brandon Tsay and Meymuna Hussein-Cattan.

Chancee Martorell of the Thai Community Development Center

Local Hero: Honoree Chancee Martorell, Advocate for the Thai Community

Chancee Martorell is the executive director of the Thai Community Development Center, which she founded in 1994, to improve the lives of Thai immigrants.