Neyda Yaneth was born in Guatemala. She immigrated to Los Angeles, California at the age of seven years. She lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut during most of her elementary school days and return to Los Angeles in 1984. She was then raised in South Central Los Angeles, in an area where gangs and violence dominated the neighborhood. Despite her community, she completed high school and received her Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from California State University Northridge. In 2011, she founded FHSAF, a nonprofit to help the youth at her high school alma mater. FHSAF was established to inspire and motivate inner city youth towards the path of higher education. She currently serves as the founder and advocate for youth living in poverty, and has also become an agent of change for children with disabilities. In 2017, she published Voices of our Youth to share stories of youth living in South Central LA and recently published Awaken the Power within a poetry book to inspire healing.