Reshaping the Future

Empowering Students Through
Represenation

About the Founder

Darianny Bautista

Darianny Bautista is the Executive Director and Founder of Reshaping the Future, a youth empowerment campaign she launched in 2021 to help underserved students overcome adversity, embrace leadership, and pursue higher education. A first-generation Dominican American from Newark, New Jersey, Darianny draws deeply from her lived experience growing up in poverty, experiencing homelessness, and serving as the primary caregiver for her mentally disabled immigrant mother. Her advocacy work is grounded in a belief that educational equity is essential to systemic change.

She was most recently honored at the 2025 Harvard LEAD Conference, where she spoke at Harvard University and shared her story and work with over 500 high school and college students from across the country.

Her campaign, Reshaping the Future, has reached over 2,000 students across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and the DMV area—engaging K–12 and college audiences through dynamic, interactive workshops, speaking engagements, and 1:1 mentorship, centered on identity, self-worth, and resilience. Sharing her story, navigating challenges as an underserved student, Darianny empowers students to believe in their potential and see themselves reflected in leadership.

Darianny currently serves at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she supports oversight of federal programs to ensure transparency, accountability, and equity. She has also served in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives as a Running Start Congressional Fellow, contributing to legislative research and policy development on education, housing, and criminal justice. She is a 2025 Stanford Law Scholar, 2025 Harvard LEAD Awardee, and a two-time recipient of U.S. Senate Special Recognition for Leadership and Service.

With aspirations to become a public interest attorney and future policymaker, Darianny remains committed to dismantling the systemic barriers that prevent marginalized youth and families from accessing opportunity, justice, and dignity.

The Story I Share with Students:

Objective

Empowering Students

As an underserved first-generation college student, I know firsthand the impact and significance that representation can make in the lives of students around the world. Drawing from my own experiences I conduct visits to public schools and engage students in age-appropriate active conversations and activities that foster a dynamic and inclusive environment, allowing them to connect personally with the stories I share.

Advocacy for Equitable Education

The U.S. struggles with achieving fair education attainment due to factors like unequal funding, systemic biases , and limited access to resources for certain socioeconomic groups. Discriminatory policies and practices hinder educational progress, and disparities in early childhood education and support systems widen the educational gap. To address these issues, a comprehensive approach is needed to eliminate systemic inequalities, improve resource distribution, and ensure all students have equal access to quality education and opportunities. Through my work in equity focused policy, I use my interactions with students and school boards to fuel research and advocacy for equitable education reform.