Diana Smith Lejins
My well-worn answering machine poses the question, "What have you done today to make the World a better place?" That's my mantra and how I've tried to live my life. I've spent many of my days in service to others--25 years on National Ski Patrol, Sierra Club Leader and Officer, Chair of Advocates for Disability Rights, Chair of Long Beach City Citizens Advisory Commission on Disabilities and the list goes on.
Growing up San Gabriel Valley, California, I attended Granada Elementary and Alhambra High Schools. Eventually I graduated from Pasadena City College and California State University at Los Angeles cum laude with honors in Business Administration. My frequent visits to relatives in Long Beach enamored me to the ocean and its delicate environment. Full of hopes and dreams, I moved to Long Beach over 28 years ago from Alhambra, CA.
Since that time in 1985, I metamorphosed into a seasoned photojournalist and world traveler visiting about 72 countries and at least 32 U.S. states in all. I have been published in the majority of Long Beach news outlets and the Los Angeles Times. My activism in environmental affairs, disability rights, political analysis and animal welfare has created a special niche for my time and energy. A mother of three, grandmother of five, and great-grandmother of five, I have serious concerns for the world's ecologic health and the legacy that we will leave to future generations.
As some of you may remember, my parents and many other relatives were deaf/hearing impaired. My latest project, World Hands, promises to connect the peoples of the world with International Sign Language. Stay tuned as the possibilities unfold. We've got the whole world in our hands.......
p.s. And, yes, that is Air Force 1 behind me in my "now" picture. More as I find the time...
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