Our History

Bloom Rio Grande Valley was founded by three Latina organizers who grew up in Hidalgo and Cameron counties: Clarissa Riojas (she/her/ella) Clarissa Conde (she/her/ella), and Edith Cuevas (she/her/ella/they). Frustrated with the harmful narratives surrounding youth civic apathy, our founders created BLOOM RGV as a vehicle to help educate, uplift, and mobilize young people. Since its inception in July 2024, BLOOM RGV has registered over 1,200 young voters, hosted over 50 civic education workshops, partnered with over 30 local high schools and colleges, spoken to over 2,000 students, and cultivated three BLOOM leaders as part of its leadership development program.