Daysha Trujillo Meets the Needs of Area Students
Majoring in biochemistry and working hard to expand the nonprofit she started at just 13 years old, Jessup sophomore and CEO Daysha Trujillo is tenaciously making an impact throughout northern California. Inspired by a close friend who was struggling to obtain basic hygiene products as a teen, Trujillo’s nonprofit, Trukidz was founded and now makes daily necessity items accessible to thousands of unhoused students and students in need.
Building relationships within 15 schools and 10 school districts, Trujillo hosts packing events at various schools to assemble essential items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine products, combs, soap bars, lip balm, shampoo, and conditioners. From the onset, she partnered her nonprofit with CSM, a national company that makes student body identification cards. Since then, her list of donors includes Bombas socks, the Sacramento Kings and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Remaining local to the area was central to Trujillo when deciding where to attend college. “TruKidz is my baby, it’s my calling so, I wanted to stay close,” she said. “As a Christian, I wanted to attend a university that’s going to remain biblical and integrate faith in the classroom.”
Jessup checked those boxes in addition to offering a robust science program. With plans to pursue the field of anesthesiology after graduation, Trujillo will put her biochemistry degree to good use. “In high school I was interested in anesthesiology, forensics and game design so I researched all three and decided anesthesiology was the best fit for me. I like to think of anesthesiologists as the angels that are looking over the patient,” she said. “It’s been so refreshing to be part of an educational environment where I can speak my mind, meet people with similar goals and bounce ideas off each other. It’s helped me grow a lot.”
Last fall Trujillo recruited members of Jessup’s baseball team and other students to participate in a packing event on campus, resulting in the assembly of 1,000 kits, 40 of which went to Jessup students. The event was covered by local media outlets as well as Robert Craig Films, a Placer County production company producing a documentary about homelessness called No Address. The film features actors including William Baldwin, Ashanti, Xander Berkley, Lucas Jade Zumann, and Ty Pennington. Trujillo had the opportunity to be an “extra” in the film which allowed her the opportunity to meet the producers, leading to a significant alliance that Robert Craig Films named “The Big 5 Giveback.”
The giveback will aid nonprofit organizations dedicated to alleviating homelessness and the company plans to allocate half of its net proceeds associated with the project to five nonprofits, including TruKidz. The film is scheduled for release in 2025.
To partner, donate or learn more about Trukidz visit Trukidz.org
