Yuma Teacher Yendi Parker Discusses Education, Civic Leadership on KAWC

Yendi Parker arrived in the United States at age 11 as a political refugee, her family's visas secured through a lottery program. That origin story, rooted in La Habana, Cuba, now drives one of Yuma County's more active civic voices, and it formed the backbone of her March 13 appearance on KAWC's community program "What's Up Yuma?"

Parker, who teaches English at Yuma Catholic High School, spoke about education and the kind of hands-on civic participation she has made central to her life outside the classroom. Parker says that journey shaped her deep appreciation for freedom and her passion for civic engagement.

Her organizational portfolio spans local, county, and state levels. She currently serves as president of the Yuma County Republican Women's Club and holds the position of third vice president on the state board of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women, a role that extends her influence well beyond Yuma County into statewide Republican organizing and women's leadership networks.

Parker's civic work is not confined to partisan politics. She has served on the Yuma County Attorney's Community Justice Board and currently sits on the Arizona Supreme Court Foster Care Review Board, where she advocates for youth and families in the foster care system while encouraging leadership and civic participation in the community. That appointment connects her classroom experience with a judicial oversight structure designed to protect some of Arizona's most vulnerable children.

The KAWC episode, titled "Yendi Parker leads students and Republican women" in platform listings, is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, and YouTube. For a teacher balancing daily instruction at Yuma Catholic with board service at the state Supreme Court level, the interview offered a rare consolidated look at how Parker navigates those parallel commitments in a single community.