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Aquarium Accolades Spring 2024
Read about Aquarium honorees from our community.
Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific/Robin Riggs
April 15, 2024
Aquarium Accolades Spring 2024
Vice President of Human Resources Kathie Nirschl with Councilmember Mary Zendejas Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Festival of Human Abilities
Long Beach Councilmember Mary Zendejas was honored at the 21st annual Festival of Human Abilities with the Glenn McIntyre Award. She represents the First District, which includes downtown where the Aquarium is located.
Born in Mexico, Zendejas was diagnosed with polio at 8-months old. She later came to the United States with her family in search of better healthcare and a brighter future.
She made history in 2019 when she was elected to office as the first Latina wheelchair user in the nation. For the City of Long Beach, she is the chair of the Arts, Culture & Tourism Committee. She also serves on the Metro Gateway Cities Service Council, and is a board member of For the Child, Un Mundo De Amigos, and vice president of Ms. Wheelchair America.
She is an inspiration for others and an advocate for people with disabilities.
“It’s all about…really, really embracing the human abilities that we all have.”- Councilmember Mary Zendejas
Shirley Raines with Emily Yam, Aquarium's director of learning and public engagement Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
African American Festival
Shirley Raines was honored at the 22nd annual African American Festival with the Heritage Award.
She is the founder of Beauty 2 the Streetz, which provides life essentials to individuals who are homeless in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles and beyond. Beauty 2 the Streetz provides hair and makeup services, food, clothing, hygiene, and safety items.
Eight years into providing essentials for the homeless, Raines is active on social media platforms to share each of the special moments to remind people that, “…a lack of a home does not mean a lack of humanity.”
“…change the narrative of what homelessness is [with] growth and knowledge…”- Shirley Raines