Miguel Navarro grew up in the gateway to the Channel Islands – Oxnard, CA – before heading up north to get his BA at The University of California, Berkeley in 2000. His parents migrated from Michoacán, Mexico and were Strawberry farmworkers in Oxnard for most of Miguel’s childhood years. After college and living in the Bay Area for a total of six years, he decided to move back down to sunny Southern California to be closer to family and friends.
Eventually, his sweet spirit brought him to The Center in October 2013, when he first volunteered as a facilitator for The Anti-Bullying/Suicide Prevention workshops taught to ninth grade students in The Palm Springs Unified School District. He enjoyed the work so much; he became The Executive Assistant to the CEO nearly three years later in August 2016. Now, he’s the Director of Programs in Coachella, and knows firsthand the importance of continued engagement to Latinx, agricultural, and rural LGBTQ+ communities in the East Valley. He is proud to be part of the East Coachella Valley Pride festival planning committee since year one in 2017. The annual pride festival is a culturally sensitive and family inclusive Pride event in the city of Coachella, which The Center supports and helps organize. Miguel has lived in the Coachella Valley for 12 years and loves the community here. He lives in Rancho Mirage with his partner Patrick and two “kids” (rescue cats), Peach and Nacho the tripod.
