Coachella’s ‘Berkeley Big Sister’: Meet Julissa Felix, a 19-Year-Old Influencer Who Is Always Fighting for Women’s Empowerment

Coachella Valley High School graduate and UC Berkeley student Julissa Felix is only a swipe, scroll and click away.

On TikTok and Instagram, @jewels.felix smiles and dances in pink outfits and full glam for the 300,000-plus cumulative followers of her fashion and shopping content—but her glittering online persona is just one aspect of Julissa Felix. She’s a driven, 19-year-old student with a passion for politics, and in late March, Julissa was invited to the National Young Feminist Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

After graduating, Julissa has stayed involved in the Coachella Valley High School Young Women’s Empowerment Club, in which she held a leadership position during her senior year. Through the chapter, she was able to attend the conference, which included workshops and speakers on topics such as campus leadership, feminism, period poverty and higher education. Julissa had the chance to speak to members of Congress, telling them about the need for education reform in Coachella in wake of the Trump administration’s budget cuts.

“I literally would get emotional every single day (of the conference) being in these spaces, because our voices actually mattered,” she said.

For Julissa, the conference was a space where she felt like she could finally be heard—although political advocacy was not new to her. During Julissa’s senior year of high school, she worked with the club to make the school district enact Assembly Bill 367, a law that went into effect in 2022 mandating that all sixth- through 12th-grade schools provide period products in restrooms. Julissa said the administration was not very receptive to the club’s call for change; nonetheless, Julissa and her peers persistently advocated for the law and gave presentations to the board until the law was finally implemented.

Julissa grew up in Coachella, born to an immigrant family who wanted to give her the opportunities they never had. Now entering her sophomore year at UC Berkeley, Julissa is the first member of her family to attend college. However, she was reluctant to go to Berkeley.

“There is such a small Latino population at Berkeley,” she said. “My first semester, I felt like a complete outsider and felt like I didn’t belong.”

Despite her concerns, Julissa dove into college life head-first. She is part of the Raíces Center, Cal Democrats, Hermanas Unidas, student government and even the campus coffee club. She said she always strives to make other students feel welcome, because she understands feeling out of place.

Even at the conference in Washington, D.C., Julissa noticed that there weren’t many girls who looked like her. In fact, there was only one Latina panelist throughout the entire weekend, she said—and she was another Coachella Valley High School attendee.

“Here in the Coachella Valley, you’re used to seeing Latinas (in governmental roles), and a lot of our representatives are Latinas, so it was a crazy difference,” she said.

Current Coachella Valley High School students have taken to calling her their “Berkeley Big Sister.” She said she’s more than happy to answer any email, text or Instagram message she receives asking questions about college life and admissions. A student at Desert Mirage High School even messaged her for advice on starting her own Women’s Empowerment Club, she said.

Julissa dreams of serving in Congress, so she can tackle systemic issues in education access.

“Because I come from a Mexican household, machismo and sexism are a huge thing and something I grew up in,” she said. “… I’m also the oldest girl, so that comes with a lot of responsibilities and this idea of being this ‘perfect golden child.’”

While some family members have called her “too loud” or scoffed at her political comments because of her gender, Julissa has already accomplished more than they could have imagined.

“Because I’m so feminine-presenting, people kind of dismiss me, or they’re just like, ‘She’s too girly,’ or, ‘She’s too this,’” she said. “And then I start talking, and they’re like, ‘What?’ Not only am I a feminist; I am an educated feminist.”

One moment, Julissa is making a TikTok about her outfit; in the next, she is advocating for the Coachella Valley at a conference in the nation’s capital. Julissa loves surprising people—and she doesn’t plan on stopping the surprises anytime soon.

“I’ll keep on pushing,” she said. “There’s more education. Like I said, I want to be feminine, but disgustingly educated. I just want to be in these spaces.”