2013-2014 Femtors/Mentors
Brief overview description of who our femtors and mentors are.
Maria Atuesta
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City and Regional Planning
[email protected] I am a graduate student in City Planning, with interest in the analysis of the impact of policy guidelines on the provision public infrastructure. I am also interested in studying the relationship between perception and social segregation in Latin American cities. In my free time I like to dance and like many Colombians I grew up drinking dark regular coffee.
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Ashley Bliss-Herrera
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Goldman School of Public Policy
[email protected] Ashley is a 2nd-year graduate student at the Goldman School of Public Policy. Ashley is from Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia (and many other places as she has moved around a lot); and, completed her undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech studying Economics & International Affairs. She lived and worked in Washington DC for about 4 years before heading to Berkeley. She is focusing on issues of education, particularly those of higher ed. Ashley is half-Mexican; speaks Spanish; loves yoga, running, salsa dancing, traveling (as most do), jewelry-making, and cheese.
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Magdalena C
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Social Welfare
[email protected] I am a bit of a nomad, having lived "all over" in several states in the U.S. and two different countries in Latin America, and my interests are similarly diverse and spread out. I studied Spanish and Sociology (with a heavy dose of art classes) during my undergrad years, worked for a few years afterwards at a community clinic, and now I'm a grad student at UC Berkeley's School of Social Welfare. Academically and professionally, I am interested in social justice, gender equity, health equity, sexual health, and mental health. My future plans involve working towards eliminating health disparities, advocating for reproductive justice, and preventing sexual violence.
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Joaquin Carbonell
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Joaquin is pursuing a Master's in Public Policy at the Goldman School and will graduate, barring catastrophe, in May of 2014. In true Cuban-American fashion, he was born in Miami and has since lived in California, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, D.C., Belgium, and Peru. He has a Bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill where he studied Latin American History and International Relations. Joaquin has worked for community education non-profits in Cusco, Peru and Washington, D.C., Congressman John Lewis, and the US Agency for International Development. He is passionate about people, books, ending the Cuban embargo, immigrant rights, education, and sandwiches.
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Alejandro Ceballos
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Alejandro studied physics at Northern Arizona University where he graduated in 2012. He is currently a PhD student in the Materials Science and Engineering Department working in the Hellman Lab where he studies the magnetic and thermodynamic properties of diverse systems. He enjoys coffee very much.
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Kristina Cervantes-Yoshida
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I am a sixth year PhD student studying the influences of land use and drought on freshwater fish in San Francisco Bay Area streams. I grew up in Richmond, CA and received my BA at Smith College in Massachusetts in Biology and Marine Sciences. I was an environmental educator for five years in Oakland and Richmond teaching elementary kids about their local creeks, environmental justice issues, and waste reduction. Although I love studying fish, the most rewarding part of my experience at UCB has been mentoring students and being involved in organizations that promote equal access to educational opportunities. During my free time I enjoy playing trumpet in musical groups, raising chickens, and swimming.
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Sydney Cespedes
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Sydney Céspedes is a graduate student in her second year of the Master of City Planning Program. She is focusing on environmental justice/planning, community development, and participatory planning issues. She studied Political Science with a minor in Urban Studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York. After graduation she worked several years at a non-profit legal firm.
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Rosemarie de la Rosa
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Rosemarie is originally from the Bronx, NY and obtained her undergraduate degree in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During this time, Rosemarie was also actively involved in the leadership of various groups, both on campus and in the greater Boston community, working to encourage middle school through college students to pursue a graduate education, particularly in STEM fields. She spent two years after graduation working on stem cell and regenerative biology at Children's Hospital Boston. Realizing that she desired to apply her molecular biology training to help address real world problems, she decided to obtain her Master's of Public Health degree at Berkeley. Her ultimate goal is to obtain her PhD exploring the biological embedding of chronic social stressors along with understanding their role in health inequality. During her free time she likes to Salsa/Bachata dance and cook because it reminds her of family and friends back home in New York.
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Alex Garcia
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I am alexg, from Los Angeles Ca. As an undergrad I went to Ucla and majored in Poli Sci and History. Then I did research in the areas of incarceration and history. From this, I journeyed to UC Berkeley's Department of History, and received an MA in history and now dissertating. I am a real chill person, and although I do believe in working hard, I also believe that decompression is par of the task too. My advice is, Do not stop doing what you like to do.
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Cruz Olivia Gallegos
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Cruz is a current student in the Master of Arts degree program in Policy and Organizations Research (POME) under the graduate school of Education. Her research interests stem from her involvement in urban and rural schools, head start programs and working with migrant and seasonal workers and their families in Idaho. Cruz graduated from the University of Idaho with a bachelor's degree in Sociology with an emphasis in criminology and Spanish.
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Vicky Gomez
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I am a first year DrPH student in the School of Public Health. I was born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission district. As a single mother, I attended City College of San Francisco and then transferred to San Francisco State University (SFSU). I graduated with degrees in Raza Studies and Health Education. During my time at SFSU, I advocated for living wages, access to health care services for underserved populations and educational rights for prisoners. In 2009, I graduated with my Masters of Public Health degree from SFSU. I am passionate about eliminating cancer health disparities in the Latino community by developing culturally sensitive interventions that reduce barriers to screening and health care access.
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Angélica Guevara
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Graduate School of education
[email protected] As a first generation college student, I am the first in my immediate and extended family to graduate high school. My biological parents did not want me to continue my education because I am a woman. Despite the odds, I graduate UCLA with honors double majoring in Chican@ Studies and Women Studies. I then received my law degree from UC Berkeley. I am currently enrolled as a Ph.D. student in the Social Cultural Studies program housed under the UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education. I am researching resilience by focusing on interpersonal intelligence. I only hope my research can influence laws and policies impacting our educational systems. My high school teacher was my first mentor and role model who fortunately for me, decided to take me into her home at the age of fifteen. This experience drives my passion in mentoring other young students. I owe my academic success to all those who took the time to mentor me throughout my career. It is therefore no surprise that I have been mentoring high school and college students on an informal and formal basis for the past nine years. Since I cannot readily fix the problems that create social inequalities, I made a commitment to continue mentoring young students while dedicating my life to improving our educational systems. I am looking forward to being your mentor!
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Javier Huerta
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English
[email protected] I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of English at UC Berkeley. I have taught R & C classes and presented conference papers on the Literature of the Undocumented. In addition to my scholarly work, I have received an MFA in Creative Writing and have published two books of creative work, Some Clarifications y otros poemas (2007) and American Copia: An Immigrant Epic (2012). I am originally from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and grew up in Houston, Texas.
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Guillermo Douglass-Jaimes
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Environmental Science, Policy & Management
[email protected] Guillermo Douglass-Jaimes is pursuing his PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley. He uses geospatial analysis tools, such as GIS, and conducts fieldwork in Brazil comparing national level data, such as the Brazilian Census, to groundtruthed data from community organizations in informal settlements in Rio de Janeiro to answer questions related to urban health equity. Guillermo is interested in the ways in which urban spaces get categorized as “formal” and “informal” and by whom--paying particular attention to the role that identity politics plays in these classification processes. Guillermo holds a M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA and a B.S. in Environmental Science from UC Riverside.
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René Kissell
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Originally from Milwaukee, WI, René Espinoza Kissell is pursuing an M.A. in Policy, Organizations, Measurement, and Evaluation (POME), also known as Education Policy. Her current research focuses on the racial politics of school reform, grassroots organizing for educational equity, and the use of market mechanisms such as choice and competition in schooling, especially for underserved youth. René received her BA in Latin American Studies and Spanish Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was involved in McNair, MEChA, and Students United for Public Education. René has worked in various areas of education, from a summer bridge program counselor for high school students of color to a teaching assistant for a kindergarten dual language immersion program. Her research interests are rooted in her experience as a youth organizer around immigration reform, through which she has gained insight into the dynamics of power, privilege and oppression through a social justice framework. She is passionate about leveraging rigorous research to help answer pressing questions in communities, especially within the educational system.
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Carlos Macias Prieto
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Spanish and Portuguese
[email protected] My name is Carlos Macias Prieto. I was born in Nochistlan, Zacatecas, Mexico and grew up in the San Francisco Bay. After graduating from high school I continued my studies at Chabot Community College in Hayward, California. I then transferred to UC Berkeley in the Fall of 2003 and completed a B.A. in Chicano Studies. After working at a non-profit organization as a case manager and counselor for two years, I began my graduate studies at Purdue University, where I studied American Studies, focusing on Early American/Colonial History. After completing my MA Degree I returned to the Bay Area and worked at Laney Community college for two years in the TRIO SSS program. I’m currently a first year PhD student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Cal; my research focuses on Spanish American historiography and early American/colonial literature. My goal is to obtain a PhD to later become a professor in colonial studies, American studies, or Ethnic/Chicano studies.
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Jonathan Malagon
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Public Health/ City and Regional Planning
[email protected] As a dual MPH and MCP student, I am passionate about advancing policies and programs that promote health and social equity. Through my internship with the City of Richmond, I am part of a team that is developing a Health-in-All-Policies strategy to address the social determinants of health. Last year, I was a research fellow at PolicyLink, where I supported policies that improve health and opportunities for California’s boys and young men of color.
Previously, I earned my Masters of Education degree from UCLA. As a former high school teacher and English Language Learner Coordinator in Watts and Northeast Los Angeles, I engaged students in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) projects on access to healthy foods, resulting in the development of two school-based community gardens. I also supported health-related YPAR projects as an educational consultant with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. I am passionate about creating healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities through my research and advocacy. |
Amy A. Martinez
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I am a Xicana from Orange County, born in Santa Ana, raised in the city of Costa Mesa. I am in the Ethnic Studies Ph.D program here at Cal. I am continuing my work that revolves around the lives of 5 imprisoned "gang associated" Latino youth in California that I met in Santa Barbara. With that being said, yes I am fresh out of undergrad (UC Santa Barbara ALUM!). Learning all that I have in navigating the system, I am excited to pass on all that knowledge to the next generations of up and coming academics. I am passionate/excited about working with you all, as opposed to "mentoring" because I believe it is more constructive to build with people. Like my dad always tells me, "Siguele echando chingadasos, mi chingona" so let's get to work! I am committed to being someone you can trust and that will hopefully motivate you on your days you feel you "can't" do this whole college thing!
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Alejandra Ponce de Leon
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After transferring from community college, I received my B.A degree in International Development Studies and minored in Chican@ Studies and Political Science at UCLA. I was greatly involved with student organizations around issues of immigrant and workers' rights and popular education. These experiences inspired me to become a union organizer with UNITE HERE, Local 11, organizing airport food service workers in Orange County, LA, and Ontario. I then returned to my home in Orange County and became a community organizer with Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD). I helped develop our neighborhood organizing structure and was responsible for leading coalition campaigns to address community benefits agreements in a massive development project and to initiate a campaign to establish district elections in Anaheim. This work has led me to return to school to get my master's degree and to have the privilege of interning in the summer with CEDAPS (Center for Health Promotion) in Rio de Janeiro on their grassroots work with AIDS prevention.
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Carlos Alberto Recarte
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I am in the final year of the master of city planning program at Cal and I also studied at Berkeley as undergrad. I am from Mexico City and really excited to help out in any way I can!
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Robert Reyes
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I hail from the Coachella Valley. I came to Cal as a transfer student in 04' and liked it so much I decided to stay. When I'm not teaching or hard at work on my dissertation, I'm at home with my family. I'm a decent cook, an experienced guitarist, an average deejay, and an expert with an M16A2 Service rifle. Peace
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Alex Sabogal
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Hi everyone. I did my undergrad at Cal and my PhD here too in Molecular and Cell Biology. I'm here to help you achieve your dreams. I enjoyed biology and chemistry when I was young, what did you naturally like to study? I also enjoy economics, politics, and music. I play basketball weekly and I have a 1.5 year old kid who djs and dances with us at home.
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Maira Sanchez
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Maira is from Los Angeles and a second year in the department in City and Regional Planning. Prior to entering graduate school she attended UCLA where she double majored in Chicana/o Studies and Women Studies. During her time as an undergraduate she interned at various organizations that centered on labor and access to resources.
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Michael Singh
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Born and raised in the Sacramento Valley, Michael Singh attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate where he majored in Ethnic Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies. After a year of working in high schools he returned to Cal as a doctoral student in the department of Social and Cultural Studies in the Graduate School of Education. His research looks at the ways in which Chicano male subject formation is (re)created in public schools, and calls for pedagogies which can decolonize and re-imagine Chicano masculinity in such a way that allows students to think critically, heal, and work against hetero-patriarchy. Outside of academia Michal enjoys hip hop music, running, cooking and drawing parallels between Chappelle’s Show and his daily life.
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Lauren Valdez
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Lauren has an undergraduate degree from Berkeley with a major in Architecture and a minor in Global Poverty and Practice. More recently, Lauren has worked in the field of Environmental Justice as a community organizer and health correspondent in Wilmington, CA. In 2011, Lauren conducted research in Brazil on a Fulbright Fellowship. Professionally, Lauren has years of experience producing multimedia, and coordinating nonprofit projects internationally. Lauren is currently pursing a masters in city planning degree.
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