About
As non-traditional skaters, we usually couldn’t see ourselves reflected in skaters you would normally see at skateparks throughout Orange County- specifically in Santa Ana. The original founder, Dorian Romero took it upon herself to create a safe space for non-traditional skaters by hosting monthly skate meet ups at local skate parks for those who also have a love for skateboarding. The first meet up was held in March of 2019 at a large parking lot behind a probation office. Angela Banda attended the first meet up by discovering a flyer in the restroom of her favorite local bar- Mission Bar. During the first meet up, Angela connected with Dorian through their love of skateboarding and has since become an involved member of the group. Ashley Singleton heard about Sk8 N Meet Santana by word of mouth while DJ’ing at El Indio Downtown Santa Ana. Ashley had finally found a relatable group of folks to skate with and attended her very first meet up in June of 2020 for the Black Lives Matter Go Skate Day Protest in Downtown LA. In late 2020, Dorian eventually handed off the organization to Angela and Ashley, and had them take over as leaders of the group due to their dedication and involvement. Since then, Sk8 N Meet Santana has grown by diversifying their meet up locations to various skate parks in the LA and OC area. The group has become a familiar face within the non-traditional skate scene by way of collaborating with other non-traditional skate groups throughout the SoCal area. Other involvement in the community includes features in LA skate magazines (TRASH Mag and Bigfoot Magazine), developing the very first Build-Your-Own-Skateboard Workshop for the youth of Santa Ana, and attending Skate Like A Girl’s, W.O.F. (Wheels of Fortune) in Seattle, WA.
Angela
Angela is a recent graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. She is currently studying to get her Master’s in Food Science. Angela enjoys dog sitting and spending quality time with her friends. In her alone time she likes to get cozy and watch movies or devote time to one of her hobbies. She became involved with Sk8 N Meet Santana by attending the 1st meet up back in March of 2019 when she was eager to find more friends to skate with in Santa Ana. Fate led her to serendipitously find the flier for the inaugural Sk8 N Meet Santana skate sesh in the restroom of a local Santa Ana bar called Mission Bar. After attending several meet ups, the organizer of the events, Dorian Romero, entrusted her to help cohost the and eventually take on the role of social media outreach and photo/video editing. Angela has shown great dedication to maintaining a welcoming environment for the local and surrounding communities of nontraditional skaters while representing female skaters of Orange County. She takes great pride in being involved and seeing the crew achieve new milestones in the skateboarding community.
Ashley
Ashley is an eclectic artist within multiple realms of the creative scope. After graduating from FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) with a degree in Fashion Design, Ashley realized that her passion for expressing her creativity gravitated more to graphic design. She became involved with Sk8 N Meet Santana in June 2020, after actively attending meet-ups and events hosted by the organization. Her leadership role at Sk8 N Meet Santana consists of designing flyers to the logo, branding and marketing, and taking amature professional photos when needed. Other than designing and skateboarding, Ashley is passionate about helping others in her community and DJ’ing from her personal vinyl set at local bars when her busy schedule allows it.