Loving mom. Tireless student. Fearless activist.
All of these words describe Alexis Cortes, a 28-year-old mother of four (soon to be five) who is committed to making the world a better place through advocacy.
Alexis was first introduced to BrightSpark through a community event that took place at her oldest child’s school. From there, she met with BrightSpark’s Early Head Start (EHS) team which supported her as she enrolled two of her children into the program.
“I was pregnant. I was going back to school. So I was thinking, what am I going to do?” Alexis recalled. “And [the EHS team] was super helpful. They helped me get the documents that I needed to enroll in the program. That took a little bit of time, but they showed a lot of patience, which you don’t always see nowadays.”
As she was completing the enrollment process, one of Alexis’s daughters received an autism diagnosis from her family doctor.
As a result, Alexis continuously advocated for her daughter’s needs and relentlessly pursued resources such as therapy so she could thrive in an early learning environment.
This is where Alexis’s advocacy journey with BrightSpark began. Her determination inspired BrightSpark’s EHS team to connect her with the program’s Policy Council, a parental oversight team that partners with EHS leadership to continuously elevate the program’s accessibility and quality. Alexis joined the Policy Council in 2023 and became the Council Chair in 2024.
In collaboration with her fellow Policy Council members, Alexis reviews the EHS program’s finances, processes, and practices as well as creates outreach plans and organizes family engagement events. “Even though we’re talking about things that can impact the program, we’re all collaborating in a healthy way. We’re all listening to each other’s ideas,” she said.
From BrightSpark to Olympia to Washington, D.C.
From there, Alexis’s advocacy career has quickly accelerated. In the last two years, Alexis has joined multiple advocacy fellowships, including the Washington State Parent Ambassadors for Head Start and the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) and the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)’s Parent Institute of Engagement.
She is also currently an active member of the RESULTS fellowship and the Friends Committee on National Legislation’s Advocacy Corps. While early learning equity is the driving issue behind Alexis’s activism, her advocacy has expanded to topics such as economic justice and immigration as well through these programs.
“Expanding from childcare into immigration, Medicaid, and SNAP has been pretty smooth because they all correlate,” Alexis explained. “For example, immigrant children cannot be in the [Early Head Start] program. And that not only impacts immigration, but that impacts EHS as well. So, now you’re bringing two different worlds – well, two things that seem like two different worlds. But everything comes together at some point.”
“You have immigration and then refugee resettlement and then that trickles down to child care because almost everybody has kids. Everything comes together to create this really big picture. Going forward, I will make sure that I remember these aren’t all separate things. And it’s really cool that I can bring different aspects of my life and my experiences into all of those areas.”
So far, Alexis has joined BrightSpark and the EHS team on four trips to Olympia and one to Washington, D.C. She has also gone to D.C. three times with her other fellowships. Whether she is in a legislator’s office in a small group meeting, giving a speech on the Capitol steps, or sharing her story on a local news television broadcast, Alexis is using her voice to make a difference from within local communities to all across the country.
Advocacy Rooted in Relationships
Alexis’s advocacy is so impactful because of her ability to form real human connections with legislators and their teams. “You’re building relationships with people at the end of the day,” she explained. “I actually like to say ‘friendships’ more than relationships because you can really be friends with these people!”
Alexis encourages others to just reach out if they are interested in meeting with their representatives, as it can all start with a simple message. “You can do it too! You can send them an email, you can call them and say, ‘Hey, I just want to talk.’ And that’s what they’re supposed to do. They want to talk to you! And it’s really cool to be able to use these opportunities to get to know the staffers and legislators on a personal level.”
For those interested in advocacy but feeling hesitant or intimidated, Alexis has this advice: “Start small. Start where you’re comfortable. It’s about getting to know who you’re working with, finding your people, really learning what you are passionate about, and finding a group that fits that.”
The vulnerability needed to tell one’s story can feel intimidating. But as Alexis explains, opening up can create a safer place for others to share their story as well.
“I was really nervous to share mine, but I got more comfortable as I learned that things happen in your life and it’s normal. Everybody has big things. And being comfortable to share that is hard. But like I said, we’re all human. We’ve all gone through something. We have all struggled.”
“Your sharing could really impact somebody else’s decisions, especially the people [in the legislature] making the decisions. It lets them know, ‘This is happening in my community because so and so said it.’ Maybe they’ll listen to your story, maybe they won’t. But most of the time, they really do listen, remember, and make that effort to try,” she added.
She also encourages others to remember that it is the legislators’ jobs to serve their communities – not the other way around. “A lot of people are very intimidated by legislators, but they work for us,” Alexis explained. “We voted them in. We took the time out of our day to vote, we informed ourselves about them, and we are their constituents.”
Building a Better World Through Advocacy and Education
On top of all of her political engagement, Alexis is pursuing a degree in Social Work at Skagit Valley College. She was connected to her degree program through the Parent Ambassadors program and has remained committed to meeting her educational goals. With her degree almost in hand and her impressive advocacy resume ready to go, the future couldn’t look brighter.
“I’m very open and excited to know that there is something out there for me because there is,” Alexis said. “Everybody has this whole little yellow brick road journey in their life, and at the end of the yellow brick road is your Emerald City – what’s meant for you will be there.”
From her activism to her education to her devotion to her family, for Alexis, it all comes down to the importance of community.
“I think it’s really important to remember that we are all here for the same reasons, she shared. “We all love our children, we all love our communities, and we all love our country.”
“I use the word all the time, but we’re all a community. We’re all here for the same purpose. We love these kids. They are the future.”