Raquel Perez, also known as Rocky, was born and raised in the Pico Neighborhood of Santa Monica. She self-published a book of poems, Confessions of a Chicana with a Broken Tongue, touching on themes of language, intersecting identities, LGBTQ+, LA-based gentrification, heartbreak, loss, and more. This Chicana's poetry appears in Poet Speak Magazine. Perez’s poems have been used in writing curriculum for Chicanx Studies courses at CSUN. Her passions lie in community work, youth work, and higher education. She studied Psychology and Chicanx Studies at CSUN. She received her Masters of Social Work at CSULB and continues to work towards social justice in Los Angeles.