Joey Gonzales

2023 California Native Youth Collective Ambassador

Tataviam, Chumash, Indigenous Mexican

Joey Gonzales (he/him) is 19-years-old. He is Chumash/Tataviam on his father’s side and Indigenous Mexican on his mother’s side. Joey grew up in California and has spent his whole life around LA County. Growing up, Joey always had a connection with the land and nature. He has a strong passion for the arts and aspires to a career in acting and modeling. He hopes to bring Indigenous representation to the film and modeling industries and is passionate that Indigenous stories/characters should be played and written by Indigenous artists. He believes representation shapes who we become as youth, “we deserve to be seen as heroes, astronauts, fantasy characters, etc. We deserve to see ourselves in a positive light in film and media.”

Joey is also passionate about mental health and creating safe environments for his Indigenous relatives.