Deja shared on her website that she experienced homelessness at 15 years old and grew up on food stamps, which made her realize how policies surrounding reproductive rights and her school's sex education system disadvantaged her. This motivated her to organize a Sex Education Curriculum Review Board for the Tucson Unified School District in her hometown. She encourages young people getting into politics to consider what issues are impacting them personally, how they can use their personal experiences to guide their efforts, and who is in their personal network that they can tap for help.
