Josefina Rocha is a Latina Visual Artist from Watsonville, California. Her Mexican parents migrated from Michoacan, Mexico and she currently lives with her mother and three sisters. Having been unhoused in the past, she grew up with the fear of displacement and is familiar with the struggles and effects that come about with the housing crisis currently. She received her BFA degree in Fine Arts Practice as a painter and First-Generation scholar at California State University East Bay in 2021, graduating with Latin Honors (Magna Cum Laude). Her work takes form through a visionary lens that stems from her empathy for others and takes an interest in themes such as vulnerability, wonder, compassion, and kindness - all the while exploring their interconnectivity. As an emerging artist, Josefina has participated in the creation of local murals, shown numerous paintings in various gallery shows, co-curated an exhibition, and hosts a number of painting workshops within her community. She recently hosted her first Open Studios Tour event. She is a recipient of the Friends of the Arts Scholarship (2020) and the Hayward Arts Council Award (2021) for the annual “Rising Exhibition” at California State University, East Bay. She teaches culturally responsive arts through the Mariposa Arts Program with the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County. and supports social-emotional development for her students in after-school programs throughout the county. Above all, she encourages a safe space for students to become confident in their natural abilities that being an artist is possible.