Mayor Jack Balch
Pleasanton Mayor
Pleasanton is about people. I’m not the mayor of a fancy building, I am the mayor of the people.
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Mayor Jack Balch
Pleasanton Mayor
·By: Mbaire
Jack Balch never set out with a plan to become mayor of Pleasanton. Nearly two decades ago, he was working for his family’s business when an experience with the city’s planning process left him frustrated. Around the same time, he and his wife were expecting their son. The two experiences made him think differently about the community where he was building his life. “I felt this overwhelming appreciation for the city and how lucky I am to raise my son here," Balch recalled. When a local planning commissioner suggested that instead of being frustrated with government, he could become part of it, Balch listened. “My act of defiance was to become part of the process.” That decision began Balch’s path through several city commissions and the City Council before he was elected mayor in 2024. Now seeking a second term, he remains focused on leaving Pleasanton better than he found it. For Akilis World’s Leaders in the Bay, Balch talks about family, community, the responsibility of being mayor and what he hopes the next generation inherits from the decisions being made today.
The Ones to Watch
Alanis Ramirez
Content Creator/Entrepreneur
·By: Mbaire
At 20,[Alanis Ramirez](https://www.instagram.com/alanisramireza/)is already a full-time student, content creator, and founder of [Racine](https://www.instagram.com/racinecollective/), a Bay Area marketing agency. Her journey began with a [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@alanisramireza)documenting her move to the University of Nevada, Reno, and what started for fun grew into TikTok, brand collaborations, and eventually Racine. After transferring to San Francisco State, Ramirez continued building her agency while working with brands like [YSL](https://www.yslbeautyus.com/). For The Ones to Watch, Ramirez talks about turning social media into opportunity, building a business while still in college, the moments she considered giving up, and how far she wants to take Racine.
The Ones to Watch
Lillie Vehling
Water Polo Player at UC Davis
·By: Mbaire
What began as a solo trip to watch the Blue Angels at [Seattle’s Seafair](https://www.seafair.org/seafair-weekend-festival/air-show/) became a moment Lillie Vehling could never have anticipated. The [UC Davis](https://www.ucdavis.edu/) water polo player and mechanical and aerospace engineering student spotted [three girls drowning in Lake Washington](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/california-college-water-polo-star-092855999.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall) and jumped in to save them. In the process, a skill she had once spent three years struggling to learn became one of the skills that helped her keep them alive. But Lillie’s story is about more than one extraordinary act, it’s also about repetition, instinct, service, and the quiet work that prepares us for moments we never see coming.
The Ones to Watch
Jack Hildebrand
Documentary Filmmaker
·By: Mbaire
Jack Hildebrand is a documentary filmmaker and editor fresh out of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, with work spanning local Oakland sports stories, a Netflix internship on America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, and his thesis film [Boxer Mom, about Polynesian Olympic boxer 'Aki 'Epenisa.](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2z57b73t)We talked with him about discovering documentary filmmaking, working on a Netflix production, and overcoming self-doubt.
The Ones to Watch
Noah Gibson
Content Creator
·By: Mbaire
When Noah Gibson moved to San Francisco last fall, he didn't know many people. Instead of waiting for friendships to happen, he started introducing himself to strangers, sharing those moments online, and discovering that meaningful conversations often begin with a simple question. Today, his videos capture a side of San Francisco that algorithms rarely show: a city full of people looking for connection. In this conversation with Akilis World, Noah reflects on moving to a new city, losing both of his parents, building community, and why he believes the best friendships begin with genuine curiosity.
The Ones to Watch
joleen diaz
Internet Personality
·By: Mbaire
When Joleen Diaz walked onto [Netflix's Age of Attraction](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/age-of-attraction), millions of viewers wondered the same thing: Would she find love? By the end of the season, the answer was no. Instead, she walked away with something even more valuable—a clearer understanding of what she wants and, just as importantly, what she's not willing to settle for. While the internet knows her for her youthful appearance and social media fame, that's only one chapter of her story. Spend a few minutes talking to Joleen, and you'll quickly realize she'd much rather talk about her students, her family, and living a life with purpose. In this conversation with Akilis World, she opens up about what really happened behind the scenes on Age of Attraction, why she's never left the classroom, and the values that continue to guide her long after the cameras stopped rolling.