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Longtime Leader Of Philadelphia Student Organization To Step Down

By Mike DeNardo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The longtime leader of an influential Philadelphia student organization is stepping down at the end of this month.

As executive director of Youth United for Change for the last 16 years, Andi Perez has seen the student group's political influence grow.

"Power ebbs and flows, but you slowly build increments of power. And so you have small victories like getting a bathroom cleaned, or getting a new counselor for a school," she explains.

Kensington Youth Protest
A 2013 protest. (credit: Mike DeNardo/KYW Newsradio)

Perez points to bigger victories, including getting the district to move away from "zero tolerance discipline," and campaigning for the construction of Kensington CAPA high school.

After 16 years, Perez says it's time for new leadership to bring fresh ideas to the organization.

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