Local Heroes 2021

Local Heroes 2021

The Independent‘s Annual Nod to Our Incredible Neighbors

By Nick Welsh, Matt Kettmann, Tyler Hayden, Jean Yamamura, Charles Donelan,
Ryan P. Cruz, Jun Starkey, and Caleb Rodriguez | Images by Erick Madrid

This issue marks the Santa Barbara Independent’s 35th year of publishing. From our very first issue in 1986, we have celebrated each Thanksgiving by honoring some of the many people who make Santa Barbara a true and whole community of neighbors. Their daily lives, at work or as volunteers, support our foundational belief that we are all here to help one another. Many of you, our Independent readers, have, over the years, sent in thousands of nominations telling us about those who have directly affected your lives. To you, we also give thanks, for these have expanded our own understanding of what a true local hero is. We hope, by publishing a few of these stories each year, the Independent can shine light on those among us who bring moments of hope and joy to us all. 

Special thanks to the Hutton Parker Foundation 

Aaliyah and Bella Rubio

Youth Makers Market Entrepreneurs

For sisters Aaliyah and Bella Rubio, the boredom that came with the pandemic forced them to embrace their creativity. Inspired by other small-business creators on TikTok ​— ​part of a wave of people monetizing their hobbies in the face of economic hardship ​— ​Aaliyah and Bella enlisted the help of their mother, Cecilia Rubio, to organize the Youth Makers Market, which made its debut in September at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop.

Aaliyah, 13, makes beaded jewelry: bracelets, necklaces, rings, and anklets. She learned by watching videos on social media and turned her free time into something that was not only fun but taught her how to be a young entrepreneur.