In the wake of the vast wildfires that destroyed most of the Pacific Palisades, many students have been pitching in to bring their community back to life. A group of students have started their own initiative to help rebuild Pali High—both as a school and as a home.
Juniors Alessandra Santini and Yasmine Santini, along with freshman Lily Yadegar, created Pali Strong, a project focused on restoring the Palisades community. This initiative launched on the second day of the fires, Jan. 8, after the flames had begun damaging some residential areas and Pali High structures.
Alessandra and Yadegar both recalled feeling shocked and heartbroken when they first learned that the fire had reached Pali High.
“I was watching the news reporters on TV, and I saw one of the ladies pass by our swimming pool on campus,” Alessandra said. “I was truly devastated and in shock.”
Although their homes were unaffected, the three students said that they had to quickly evacuate to a hotel, witnessing online as many of their peers lost their homes and their school’s campus burned down. Empowered by these losses, they decided to take action and start a GoFundMe to help Pali High rebuild.
“We weren’t going to just sit back and watch our community break apart,” Alessandra said. “Instead, we were looking for something to do remotely to help give back and boost back the positivity and the support of our people.”
Beyond raising money to help rebuild Pali High’s infrastructure, the Pali Strong founders also provided support to the community by organizing donation drives for those affected.
From Jan. 19 to Jan. 21, Pali Strong held donation pickup centers at the Brentwood Gardens Plaza. The drives were open to anyone impacted by the fires and provided essential resources, from food and water to clothing and hygiene items.
Alessandra said that the response from the drives was unexpected, with many people stopping by the location and donating their own items. In total, she estimated that the week of the drives resulted in 100-150 donations, which included contributions from students as well as Pali High teachers and former staff members.
“So many people came and donated, even from a small bag of clothes to three big trash bags of clothes and houseware and food, and it was just so beautiful to see our family come together,” Alessandra said.
A number of wellness brands, such as Mario Badescu and Glossier, also offered their support by donating products, with which the founders created free skincare packages for victims. In addition, the nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen offered 100 free meals on the first day of the drive.
Yadegar believes that part of their growth can be credited to social media, explaining that promoting their initiative through Instagram allowed them to make more connections and reach a broader audience.
“The biggest support we received were all of the donations that we raised on the GoFundMe, not only from Pali families, but even from people that live across the country,” Alessandra added.
The success of Pali Strong, which has raised in excess of $23,000 at the time of publication, has been recognized by various news outlets, allowing its founders the opportunity to be featured on Fox News, NBC News, and the Today Show.
According to Alessandra, the Pali Strong founders were directly contacted by news anchors and publishers to be interviewed about their experiences as teenagers witnessing their school burn down.
“I honestly did not expect this kind of growth and success for Pali Strong because initially, we started it as a mission to help our community,” she said. “Never would I have ever expected, let alone the fires to happen, but for us to gain such recognition, and we are so grateful for the many opportunities that we’ve had and we’ve been given.”
One of their most notable achievements was being interviewed by The New York Times, and having their story featured in an article that shared the experiences of 10 children and young adults who faced losses in the Los Angeles fires.
The founders have been planning several upcoming events, including a collaboration with the nonprofit organization “HEARTBeats” to host a charity concert at Whisky A Go Go on March 1. The concert fundraiser will donate 50 percent of proceeds toward rebuilding Pali High, and is offering free admission to all Pali students.
Going forward, Alessandra, Yasmine and Yadegar are hopeful that their work will continue to aid in the complete restoration of the Palisades community that they and so many others consider a second home.
“My biggest hope is for Pali Strong to develop into an outlet and a resource for people to be inspired by the work communities can do if they unite together,” Alessandra said.
Despite the serious destruction that was caused by the fire, Pali High students have shown resilience and continue to inspire hope for the future with recovery efforts.
“I think this time isn’t only about helping those that were affected by the fire, but it really, really comes to show that we are so much stronger as a community,” Alessandra said. “It’s really been inspiring and so beautiful to see how during something so catastrophic, our community came together when we needed each other most.”
Editor’s note: Yasmine Santini is a member of the Tideline staff. She was not interviewed for this article.
