About Access Athletics SCV
Access Athletics SCV is a nonprofit organization aiming to remove financial barriers between youth and sports, creating an inclusive environment that fosters growth. Access Athletics SCV is dedicated to providing disadvantaged youth with the scholarships and grants necessary in order to engage in organized sports and outdoor activity to improve mental health, social wellbeing, and leadership skills.
At Access Athletics SCV, we promote inclusion and leadership through sports, enhancing mental health and social well-being.
About the founder, Berkeley Nuñez
Berkeley Nunez is presently a senior at West Ranch High School in Santa Clarita, California. She played a number of sports during her formative years including soccer, swimming, and volleyball, but it was in tennis where she found her calling at the age of 9. Berkeley is passionate about tennis and has had the opportunity to train at two of the most renowned tennis facilities in the world—-IMG in Bradenton, Florida and the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain. She credits tennis with instilling not only physical discipline but strategic thinking and mental fortitude which she has carried over into the classroom. Berkeley is an honor student, a member of multiple scholar clubs, and a believer in community service. She is driven by her curiosity and thirst for knowledge. She would like to pursue a career in medicine and has started charting her academic and extracurricular path toward this goal. Through shadow opportunities, she has been able to stand in during an array of medical procedures. In 2023, she had the opportunity to further immerse herself in medicine by participating at Oxford University’s elite summer medical program in Oxford, England where she gained hands-on practice in clinical settings. Her training and experiences to date have engendered a passion for Berkeley to give back.
Berkeley believes sports are more than games and offer an outlet and mental reset from the day-to-day modern pressures facing young people. Aside from improving physical and mental health, Berkeley has experienced firsthand how participation in athletics and the camaraderie created on the fields, courts, and bus rides creates a sense of community for young people which is unmatched in other settings. She’s a firm believer that all students willing to compete in sports should have an even playing field without the worry of financial barriers to entry. To this point, Berkeley has taken the initiative to establish a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Access Athletics SCV, aimed at breaking down or lowering the financial barriers to entry in sports. Her vision is to create a community where every aspiring athlete has the opportunity to play and compete without the worry of financial limitations
Our Board Members
Joe A. Nuñez holds a Master of Healthcare Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Ambulatory Systems Management from the University of Southern California. He is a graduate of the Southwestern Law School (SCALE program), a member of the California Bar and admitted to the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
He had a successful career as a healthcare executive and went on to build Cal-Prime Real Property Solutions, Inc. into a highly successful real estate and mortgage brokerage and consulting firm boasting 15 years of success servicing clients throughout California.
The idea of “paying it forward” articulated by Ralph Waldo Emerson is and has been a driving force in Carlos’ career and personal life. As a bilingual attorney and son of Mexican and Cuban immigrants, Carlos champions giving authentic voice to individuals and communities in need, including those from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. The opportunity afforded at Carpenter & Zuckerman to put to use his legal skills alongside the firm’s resources and collective expertise to obtain justice for injured clients brings him deep and authentic fulfillment. Carlos joined Carpenter & Zuckerman in 2018. Prior to joining the firm, Carlos served as judicial extern for the Honorable Philip S. Gutierrez of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and for the Honorable Gregory W. Alarcon of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. He also worked as a law clerk at NBC Universal, and his previous career as an educator included serving as both a teacher and principal. Carlos received his undergraduate degree from Occidental College, a master’s degree from California State University, Northridge, and his law degree from Southwestern Law School’s two-year J.D. program. He is currently a board member of the Los Angeles LGBT Bar Association and the Southwestern Alumni Nickel Club. His article entitled From Arlington to Tennessee: The Beginnings of a Chevron Deference Farewell Tour? was published in Vol. 47 of the Southwestern Law Review. When he is not working, Carlos enjoys exploring his ever-evolving Los Angeles hometown, taking trips near and sometimes far, cooking, fitness, and spending time with loved ones.
Dr. Robert Louie graduated from UCLA in 1996 with a degree in Physiological Science and USC in 2000 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. His clinical experience has been exclusively in Orthopedics, and in 2004 he was certified by the Physical Therapy Board as a Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy. Dr. Louie owned and managed an outpatient clinic in Burbank for 11 years prior to opening Unruh Physical Therapy in Santa Clarita in 2014. He uses over 17 years of experience as a physical therapist and his previous athletic background to help his patients feel comfortable working together to reach their goals. Dr. Louie strongly believes that each patient is an individual who deserves his attention to their specific issues and operates his practice with the mission of Treating People, not Problems. Dr. Robert Louie chose Physical Therapy after volunteering in the UCLA Rehabilitation Clinic while a student at UCLA. After seeing what the physical therapists did with their patients, he knew that it was the profession he wanted to join. Our Santa Clarita physical therapist was looking for a way to actually work with people and to see the improvements as they happened, as opposed to only seeing a patient once every month or six weeks like a medical doctor. He also wanted to be able to be creative and to have a dynamic work environment, both of which physical therapy offers. Dr. Robert Louie is the father of two children, Tiana and Justin, who both currently attend public schools in the Santa Clarita Valley.
