Janey Pearl Starks: a life united to the community

At 34 years old, Janey Pearl Starks has achieved a prolific career in communications and political campaigns, always with a sense of service and with the community in mind.

Janey Pearl Starks is Marketing and Engagement manager at Mountain Park Health Center, a health center that provides affordable primary care services in Phoenix.

Pearl Starks, at 34 years, has achieved a prolific career in communications and political campaigns, always with a sense of service and with the community in mind.

“Everywhere I’ve worked at I’ve done so because I feel I’m making a difference, or because I feel that if the person I’m supporting wins, they’ll make a huge difference,” said Janey, originally from Guadalajara.

She worked in communications for the Democratic Party, in the Department of Health in Arizona, the office of Phoenix Mayor and Congresswoman Krysten Sinema, and in the political campaigns of Terry Goddard and Fred DuVal.

It’d be impossible to speak of Pearl Starks’ upbringing without speaking of her paternal grandfather, a man from Seattle who lived in Acapulco, where he met her grandmother.

“He taught me the importance of honesty, of helping people, and following your heart. He also had a strong sense of justice,” said Pearl Starks, whose voice shakes with nostalgia, as her grandfather passed away 3 years ago, a person who was “my dad, my mom, and my best friend – all in one.”

She was the first in her family to graduate from the University, and has a degree in Nonprofit Organization from , and a Master’s in Education from Harvard University.

She funded all her studies through scholarships, said Pearl Starks from her office in Downtown Phoenix. She’s a person of unquestionable intelligence, and a friendly personality.

At 8 years old, her grandfather sent her to Vacaville, California, to give her access to better education. She remembers in third grade, Mrs. White, who would console her despite her classmates’ bullying for being an immigrant.

“She took me to a Burger King, put a Crown on my head and said, ‘now no one is treating you right, but believe in yourself, you have to believe you’re a good person and you’re going to be fine because you have a good heart’,” she remembers.

That person in her life inspired her later to become a bilingual teacher.

“I saw the difference when everything in life is hard, you only need one person to help you, to encourage you and to guide you,” said Pearl Starks, clarifying that she later began to study education at ASU, but later switched after the passing of English Only law in Arizona in 2000.

In 1989, after an earthquake shook California with a magnitude of 6.9 degrees, Pearl Starks insisted on moving, and her grandfather arranged for her to move to Arizona.

She got into a moving truck with Mesa as a destiny in Company of her grandfather. There, she attended Mendoza Elementary for the rest of her third grade and elementary school. At first sight, she found comforting to see the school had a Latino name, and her teachers continued to be good influence in her upbringing.

But in Red Mountain High School, an event turn her life around and moved her to get involved in social activism and the defense of vulnerable communities.

“Something changed for me in 9th grade, and that’s when an African American boy came to school, and I became his friend and lost all my friends, many who didn’t want me to become friends with an African American,” she remembers. “It was very hard because they’d threaten me, and threaten him.”

That friend, Eugene, is still one of her best friends.

“Then I started to become more involved in activism, and in topics about social conscience,” said Pearl Starks.

After her Bachelor’s at ASU, she dedicated a year to registering voters and in a project to observe the activities of Minutemen at the border. Later, she was accepted to Harvard University in Boston, where she continued to bring immigrant topics to the spotlight.

In her current job, she continues to be loyal to her values of service and social justice.

“In this job many have told me I look happier than I’ve ever been before,” said Pearl Starks. “And I love what we do. We help people with documents, without documents, with insurance, without insurance, with money and without money. We have many programs that regardless of who you are, we’ll give you quality healthcare service.”

She’s also a Board member of the Girls Scouts of Arizona, and New Pathways for Youth.

Five words that describe you

Passionate, playful, empathetic, loyal and a fighter.

What inspires you?

For every bad thing that happens, and this I’ve seen in my life, in history, in everything, but for every bad thing that happens, a good thing follows, maybe something better.

What is something you always carry with you?

My grandfather. What he taught me, and knowing that the love we feel for each other, the love he taught his family, well knowing that everyone has that kind of love. Every life is important, and if someone has that feeling, it lets me know that every person we see at our clinic has someone who loves them like I loved him.

Which advice do you have for people who want to follow your steps?

Learn all you can of what interests you, and what doesn’t too because you never know, you can be surprised. And most importantly, and it sounds silly, but follow your heart. Because in various occasions I could’ve have a position with more money, more prestige, and all, but it always came down to, where can I help more people? Where can I feel better with myself?

How do you manage stress? I haven’t talked about my husband. I have a group of very good friends, and a wonderful husband who supports me in everything. We have two dogs, so I can be having a terrible day, and I get home and my husband hugs me, and my dogs go crazy with happiness to see me, and that helps me. I feel very fortunate to have found someone who supports me in all I do, and who doesn’t feel intimidated by it. And I like that we’re friends before all, and partners in life. We don’t follow gender roles, and he gives me a lot of respect.

MEET HER

 Janey Pearl Starks  34 years old  Born in Guadalajara  Graduated from ASU and Harvard University  Practices capoeira  Vegetarian