OUR TEAM E4FC engages a diverse coalition of educators, parents, lawyers,
activists, academics, and artists who have experience working directly with
immigrant youth. We are committed to building lasting relationships that
meaningfully impact the lives of immigrant students.
Staff
Katharine Gin Co-Founder & Executive Director Email:
kathy@e4fc.org
A fifth-generation Chinese American, Katharine was born and raised
in
San Francisco, and later received her BA from Yale University and MFA
from the University of Oregon. For over 15 years, Katharine has worked
to enhance arts and education opportunities for
low-income youth. She has developed innovative
programs for immigrant and minority youth in public
schools, community and residential centers, housing projects, academic
enrichment
programs, and detention facilities. Her artistic and educational work
with youth has been exhibited and published widely in college
textbooks, literary anthologies, magazines, and national newspapers,
including a full page spread in The New York Times. Since
2001,
Katharine has served as Advisor to the Nelson Fund at Silicon Valley
Community Foundation, where she oversees the fund's philanthropic
investments in arts and education. She is also a Board Member of the
Performing Arts Workshop and a member of the Donor Circle for the Arts
at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Carrie Evans Co-Founder & Director of
Scholarship Email: carrie@e4fc.org
Carrie has over nine years of experience working with first-generation
college-bound students. Most recently, as Director of College
Counseling at Eastside College Prep, a school serving low-income
minority students in East Palo Alto, she led the college admissions
program where 100% of graduates were successfully enrolled in four-year
colleges, receiving a total of nearly $1.9M in financial aid and
scholarships. Previously, she worked as a language arts instructor,
educating hundreds of students in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Oakland
Unified School Districts. Carrie also draws from her work at Achieva,
where she managed educational programs throughout California. Carrie
holds an M.A. in Education from Stanford University, with a specialty
in English Language Learners.
Graduate Advisors
Rodrigo
Rodrigo is a graduate from UC Berkeley where
he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies. Rodrigo is an
advocate for social justice issues. While at UC Berkeley, he
established Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education (RISE), a
support
group and grassroots organization that currently serves undocumented
and under-represented youth with vital resources for college. Rodrigo
has lobbied for equal education for all students in Washington D.C., and
is rapidly becoming known in the media statewide and nationally as a
strong advocate. In the future he hopes to obtain a joint degree in
both the fields of Medicine and Law. Rodrigo enjoys spending time with
his friends, mentoring and inspiring youth, dancing, and meditating in
the mountains.
Beleza
Beleza was born and raised in Brazil, and has been
living in the Bay Area for over six years. As the daughter of Chinese
immigrants in Brazil and an immigrant herself in the United States, she
has witnessed the struggles and difficulties of newcomers. She has seen
how cultural and language barriers prevent even the most hardworking
from successfully adapting, and how broken immigration laws also prevent
high-achieving students from becoming active members in society. At UC
Berkeley, Beleza was an active member of Rising Immigrant Scholars
through Education (RISE), where she organized education discussions,
film screenings, and conferences on AB 540 issues. Beleza currently
works for social justice as a teacher of at-risk youth in San Francisco,
as a writer with ethnic media such as AsianWeek.com and New America
Media, and as a community organizer with ASPIRE (Asian Students
Promoting Immigrant Rights through Education), an API immigrant group
housed at the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco.
Prerna
Prerna is a queer undocumented student, organizer,
new media consultant and blogger. Her family immigrated to the United
States from Fiji, but due to the massive USCIS backlog, she aged out on
their visa petition after turning 21. She has training in forensics
and, during her college years, was heavily involved in organizing
around issues such as budget
cuts,
racial justice, LGBT rights and other progressive causes. Prerna has a
Masters degree in International Relations, and is currently on a hiatus
from academic work. During this break, she interned at the National
Lawyers' Guild to build a Know Your Rights program for the transgender
community. She also co-founded DreamActivist (Active
DREAMS LLC) -- a
growing network of undocumented student organizers and allies across
the United States who are working on the passage of the DREAM Act and
immigration reform. Prerna also serves as an Editor of The Sanctuary,
which recently won the Best Blog in Ethnic Media award from the New
American Media. Currently, she is handling online coordination for DreamActivist.
Sergio
Sergio is a recent graduate from the UC Berkeley,
where he obtained his BA degree in Sociology and a Minor in City and
Regional Planning. His passion for social change and immigrant rights
led him to co-found Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education (RISE),
a support and mentorship program helping immigrant and underrepresented
students successfully graduate college. Sergio has extensive leadership
experience advocating for civil rights, immigrant rights, and
affordable education at local, state and national levels.
Currently,
Sergio
co-manages a worker cooperative owned by UC Berkeley
undocumented students who consult with local non-profit and community
organizations. Additionally, he is working with "With Wings and a Halo
R.E.A.C.H. a Child" to launch a reading program for
children in Central California.
Sergio plans to pursue graduate
degrees in Business Administration and Law, and to continue being an
agent of social change. In his spare time, he likes to hike, run, play
sports, shadow box, read and spend time with family and friends.
Perla
Perla recently graduated with a BA in Spanish from
UC Berkeley. Coming from a very humble yet traditional Mexican family
with strict gender roles, she has learned to hold on tightly to her
opportunities, persevere, endure, and grow strong.
Experiencing
first-hand the limitations for undocumented AB540 students at UC
Berkeley Perla and a group of friends co-founded Rising Immigrant
Scholars through Education (RISE), the first undocumented immigrant
student support group at UC Berkeley. Through RISE, Perla has taken
part in public actions, rallies, educational conferences, awareness
weeks, workshops and teach-ins.
Perla has also been involved
with
the Multicultural
Immigrant Student Program, the Gender Equity Resource Center, TRENZA,
the Chican@/Latin@ Student Development Office, University
Health Services, the Health Service Internship (HSI) Program, and Cal
Corps. She is currently interning at the Metta Center for Nonviolence
Education, where she is working to help immigrant domestic violence and
crime survivors. In the future, Perla hopes to obtain a Masters in
public health and pursue a career in health policy and advocacy.
