Edlynn Villalon

Edlynn Villalon, RN, BSN, was born in one the poorest and most underdeveloped areas of the Philippines where she shared her home with other families, used gutter water as chalk for games of hopscotch as a child, and had nothing to shower with other than a bucket of water to pour over her head. She moved to Los Angeles, California, USA when she was 7 years old, but those memories of her life in the Philippines stuck with her and led her to start a mission to make a change in the world.

Although Edlynn started with a career as a special education paraprofessional, she worked for three years before deciding she wanted a change—she wanted to be a nurse and change lives. She received her associate degree in nursing from Pasadena City College, her bachelor’s degree from Capella University, passed the NCLEX in 2016, and is now pursing her master’s degree in nursing.

While finishing her Bachelor of Nursing, Edlynn was nominated to join the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) in which she completed three certificates: leadership, advanced leadership, and executive leadership. To complete the executive leadership certificate, Edlynn had to create a “Better World” project that would provide a contribution to making the world a better place. She took this project as an opportunity to relate back to the life she lived in the Philippines.

“I thought about a project that would help the environment while assisting those living in poverty,” Edlynn said. She knows what it’s like to live like that.

She created the Recycle and Rejoice project and began collecting recycled materials and using that money to make care packages for individuals living in homelessness in the Los Angeles area. She started recycling water bottles, cans, and other household items and encouraged her friends and family to help out. Within a few months, she was ahead her project goal.

In November 2020, she created a website to help her expand her impact. While her project was only supposed to last for a one-year trial period to complete her certificate, Edlynn doesn’t plan on stopping it any time soon. She’s now converted her project to target Los Angeles students in her community by using the money from the recyclables to purchase school kits with backpacks, pens, pencils, etc. for those in need.

“[The Recycle and Rejoice project] will be helping homeless individuals living in skid row, homeless students, and hopefully, later on, help those in another country,” Edlynn said.

Edlynn has long been told she has a caring personality and always puts others first. That is why she became a nurse and why she continues to pursue Recycle and Rejoice. She hopes that can use her career in nursing to network with others who want to help and raise awareness so that one day, they can put an end to homelessness together.

“As a nurse, it is my mission to spread awareness to the nursing community about how little it takes to make a difference in someone’s life while helping the environment as well,” Edlynn said.

For more on Edlynn’s project, visit her website at www.recyclerejoice.com.