top of page

Raising hopes and moods with BrandElsa

Updated: Nov 14, 2023

The Rainbow Pride Center invites a stilt-walking motivational speaker for a mental health workshop.

By Kenya Harris


Motivational speaker BrandElsa Pereira gives a speech while standing on stilts at the Mosaic Center on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (Andrew Gonzalez | Valley Star).

A nonbinary stilt-walking performer and motivational speaker by the name of BrandElsa Pereira ran a free mental health workshop to empower and foster hope among queer students. The Rainbow Pride Center hosted the workshop and provided food and drinks for attendees during the event inside the Unity Center.


Pereira began the workshop with a dance performance to Beyonce’s “Cozy” followed by a breathing exercise and an icebreaker activity.


Elsa encouraged shy attendees to join in on the conversation.


“Showing up as your true self is brave,” said Elsa.


As a nonbinary performer, BrandElsa has faced scrutiny from people about how they should fit into the gender binary. Although Brand came out at 17, not everyone in their family was okay with that.


“My mother’s world was shattered,” said Elsa.


Pereira first began performing in 2008, as a theater arts major. They learned stilt-walking and performed over several years as a cast member for both Disney parks and the Sesame Workshop. Their costume and stilt-walking has evolved into a motivational performance over the pandemic.


“I found a group of people who showed me it’s okay to be myself and create my own expectations,” says Elsa.


Pereira took a moment to purposefully stumble on their stilts and used that to teach students that getting up from a fall is like getting back up again in life: the fall may be scary, but it does not have to be the defining moment.


“Embrace risk, conquer fear, and step onto the stilts of life,” Brand said.


They emphasized the importance of building community and connections to remind students of their strengths and then touched on how control and choice can affect mental health. Brand closed the presentation with their six pillars of resilience: growth mindset, emotional intelligence, community connections, self-expression, embodiment, and choice/control.


“It’s okay not to be okay, but understand that there are people around you ready to lift you up. You just have to look for them,” said Brand.


After the applause, students flooded Brand with appreciation following the end of the presentation.


“This event was the best part of my day. It was inspirational to see someone stepping out of the box and to be so confident. That energy rubbed off on everyone in the room. We’re very lucky to have seen this today,” said business major Nicole Shadi.

Screenshot 2025-02-18 at 11.56.31 AM.png
  • Black Facebook Icon
  • Black Twitter Icon
  • Black YouTube Icon
  • Black Instagram Icon

Staff

Editor in Chief: Kaia Mann
kaiacolleenmann@gmail.com

Managing Editor: Astrid Cortez
astrid.corte921@gmail.com

Photo Editor: Taylor Cowhey
TaylorCowhey@outlook.com

Online Editor: Daimler Koch
daimlermkoch@gmail.com

Advisers

Professor William Dauber
dauberwj@lavc.edu

Professor Brian Paumier 
paumiebj@lavc.edu

Mission Statement

THE VALLEY STAR News is the independent student media outlet of Los Angeles Valley College. The Valley Star News is a website (including its social media platforms), a general-circulation broadsheet, and a magazine (The Crown) that serves as a laboratory for the journalism/photography programs and a bulletin board for the campus community. It is subject to the protections and limitations of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The highest standards of responsible and ethical journalism always apply, as do the libel laws of the land.

The Star News is first and foremost a campus media outlet. This must be reflected as much as possible in its coverage. Its mandate is to represent and inform the student body of Valley College. It reflects the interests of that community in all areas – campus news, current events, politics, sports, arts, entertainment, and more.

bottom of page