Alexis Prado is what Laura Gordon would call the perfect representation of Esparto’s fighting spirit.

“She’s Hispanic and there’s a lot of times that the Hispanic community gets pushed back out of the limelight,” Gordon said regarding Prado. “When I see Alexis, I see good. I see her as this vision of what people can find hope in.”

Prado was crowned as the 2024 Almond Queen in February. Like many of her peers, she cares about her small rural community of roughly 3,600 people.

She’s dedicated much of her free time to community service and leadership roles including helping senior citizens with computer skills, assistant coaching for a youth soccer team and participating in the Esparto Chamber of Commerce’s new Junior Chamber of Commerce Program.

Gordon, vice president for the chamber, explained that Prado showed interest in the chamber earlier this year and has been performing secretarial duties such as note-taking and summarizing meetings once a month.

“She’s 18 and I don’t know if we’ve ever had somebody that young in the chamber,” she added.

Gordon argued that this is important because “nobody is coming to save” the chamber once its small staff ages out or chooses to move on.

“If I were to walk away tomorrow, Stephen [Gordon] were to age out and Randy [Jacobs] decided he didn’t want to be treasurer next year, it’ll fall apart,” she emphasized.

To Gordon, Prado represents hope that Esparto’s younger generation will be able to take over the chamber if they’re allowed to learn its importance and how it operates.

Prado’s dedication and commitment to the role inspired the chamber to restart its Junior Chamber of Commerce Program, which hopes to welcome students from Esparto High School to take on small roles at the chamber.

“To me, she’s this perfect role model of what we want our younger generation to follow,” she remarked.

Stephen Gordon, Gordon’s son and president of the chamber, highlighted that Prado is “a great representation of” Esparto and the Capay Valley.

“To see someone younger like that who wants to be involved and learn those things, it’s exciting to know there’s an interest there,” he said. “It’s exciting to see someone with that much character and genius want to be involved with a bunch of old heads who go on and on.

“We’re just happy to have her involved. It’s exciting to see good ideas work… and it’s paid off tremendously.”

Prado said she didn’t realize how much hard work the chamber does and how many resources it provides for the community.

“Without the chamber of commerce, we wouldn’t have the Almond Festival, the Almond Queen ceremony or anything like that,” she stressed. “I think it’s really amazing that these people get together and do all this stuff for our community.”

Furthermore, she argued that a civic leader to her means someone who “shows up and is progressively making change, or at least attempting to make change,” which is something she believes she’s done through her work with the chamber and her participation in the Almond Queen Pageant.

“Usually, I don’t see myself doing something like running for Almond Queen,” Prado said. “Just me getting out there and pushing myself to do it…, that’s something I normally don’t do.”

Lupe Salas, Prado’s grandmother and her sponsor for the pageant, explained that Prado puts her heart into everything she does and was not surprised that she won, although she was still incredibly proud.

“Besides playing competitive soccer, she worked with RISE’s summer program and worked helping seniors teaching them how to use a computer,” Salas said in February. “And she works with ESL students who are learning English at the high school.”

Salas said she came to the country as a migrant and didn’t know how to speak English when she arrived. She worked as a teaching assistant, raised three kids and took one college course a semester until she was able to get her associate’s degree in child development.

“You work yourself up and that’s what I try to teach my grandkids,” Salas emphasized. “We come from a migrant family but we get better through every generation of hard work.”

Cesar Bermudez coached Prado from when she was in eighth grade until she was a high school junior.

“Throughout this time, Alexis has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities not only pushing herself but also motivating those around her to strive for excellence,” Bermudez remarked. “As a player, she was always proactive in seeking ways to improve and emerged as a leader within her team. Since coaching her, Alexis has been instrumental in assisting me in coaching the next generation of girls soccer players at Esparto Middle School.”

He noted that her passion for the sport, coupled with her patience and dedication to cultivating excellence in young athletes, “truly embodies the qualities of a remarkable coach.”

“It’s evident that many of these girls admire Alexis, not just as a coach, but also as a role model,” he concluded.

Jose Luis Flores, Prado’s government and economics teacher, called her an exceptional student who goes above and beyond to help others in her community.

“Whether she is tutoring her peers or mentoring migrant students, she always puts others’ needs before her own,” Flores stressed. “Her dedication to her studies and her passion for making a difference in the lives of those around her make her a true role model. Alexis’ commitment to learning and helping others sets her apart as a truly remarkable student.”

Prado is studying biology at UC Davis and plans to go to medical school to fulfill her goal of becoming a pediatrician. She hopes that her role at the chamber will allow her to stay connected with her community because “not a lot of people [her] age do.”

“I think it’s really important for us to start getting involved,” she said regarding her generation.

Lastly, she thanked everyone who’s helped her get to where she is today for “believing in [her] because sometimes you don’t always believe in yourself.”

“It’s good to have people to fall back on to help push you to do the things that you would normally not do,” she remarked.

The Yolo County Civic Leader of the Month Series was inspired by longtime Yolo County leader Gary Sandy, who passed away in August 2023 after a year-long battle with liver cancer.

Sandy served in many leadership roles since 1996 including in the Woodland City Council, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and the Yuba Community College Board.

The outpouring of reflections and heartfelt comments from local leaders led The Daily Democrat to honor Sandy’s hard work by highlighting others who are making changes with a positive impact on our community.

If you have any recommendations for future Civic Leaders of the Month, email news@dailydemocrat.com with a proposal leaving the person’s name, contact information and 3-4 sentences explaining why they deserve the title.