INTERNS
Our Interns and Graduate Advisors are immigrant students who have recently graduated from college or are about to graduate from college. They serve a vital role in advising and mentoring other immigrant students in the Bay Area, as well as creating quality educational materials that benefit immigrant students nationwide.
BELEZA CHAN
Publications Editor
Beleza was born and raised in Brazil, and has
been living in the Bay Area for almost eight 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. Beleza has worked towards social justice as a teacher of
at-risk youth in San Francisco, a writer with ethnic media such as
AsianWeek.com and New America Media, and a community organizer. She
graduated with Phi Beta Kappa and Highest Honors from UC Berkeley.
Read Beleza's essay Not Just a Latino Thing (Journal of College Admissions)
Read Beleza's Financial Aid Guide for Undocumented Students
FERMIN MENDOZA
Development Associate
Fermin was born less than two miles south of the Rio Grande in Tamaulipas, Mexico and immigrated to the United States at the age of four. A Public Policy major at Stanford University, he has advocated for undocumented youth through the Stanford Immigrant Rights Project and as an intern with Educators for Fair Consideration. He has also advocated for LGBT rights as a member of the Stanford Students for Queer Liberation and as a former volunteer in the "No on Proposition 8" Campaign.
Read Fermin profiled in The Stanford Daily
Read Fermin's The Case for Undocumented Students in Higher Education
Read Fermin's story Geography Class
INGRID HERNANDEZ
Film Production Assistant
Ingrid was born and raised in Guatemala. Since she immigrated to
the United States 10 years ago, Ingrid has struggled to pursue the
American dream despite the limitations and emotional challenges being an
undocumented student. Through hard work and dedication, she is soon to
graduate from Stanford with a bachelor's of science in Management
Science and Engineering.
At Stanford, Ingrid has taken an active
role in the Latino community through her involvement in many student
organizations including the Stanford Society of Chicano/Latino Engineers
& Scientists, Ballet Folklorico de Stanford, El Guiding Concilio
and the Central American Student Association. This upcoming year, she
hopes to use her role as chair of MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano
de Aztlan) to address her passion for social justice, specifically
education and immigration issues.
In the future, Ingrid wishes
to pursue a Masters in Business Administration and fulfill her lifelong
goal of becoming an entrepreneur and starting a socially responsible
technology business.
Read Ingrid's story Letter to Myself Before Leaving
Read Ingrid's story Things I'll Never Say
KAREN HERNANDEZ
Publications Editor
Karen was
born in Guatemala and came to the U.S. when she was eleven years old.
Because of the many struggles she experienced due to poverty in her home
country, Karen has always been interested in raising awareness about
social issues. She recently graduated from Santa Clara University with a
Bachelors of Science in Economics. At Santa Clara she worked with the
Multicultural Center as the Advocacy Program Coordinator where she
programmed different events to educate students on such issues as
racism, poverty, immigration, and genocide. She was also a research
assistant for professors in the Sociology and Economics departments.
Karen co-founded a program called Leaders of Tomorrow, which mentors
undocumented high school students in East Palo Alto. In the near future
she plans to pursue a degree in Public Policy & Management. Just as
she was given the opportunity to obtain an education, Karen hopes to
give back to her community in as many ways as possible.
Read Karen's Guide for Parents of Undocumented Students
Read Karen's story Orange Tree
Read Karen's poem My America
GRADUATE ADVISORS
PERLA FLORES
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.
PRERNA LAL
Prerna is the co-founder of DreamActivist, contributes
frequently to the Race and Immigrant Rights blogs at Change.org, and is studying
intellectual property law at George Washington University in the fall.
RODRIGO CASTELLANOS
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.
SERGIO LARA
Sergio is a first-generation college
graduate, and the son of immigrant
parents. He is a product of the community college education system, and a
graduate from the University of California, Berkeley. There, he
obtained his BA degree in Sociology and 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 mentoring 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-wide and national levels.
Currently, he volunteers with Reform Immigration for America (RIFA)
national campaign as a Central Valley Lead. He is a Family Resource
Specialist for the Center of Human Services in Modesto, California.
Sergio co-manages a worker cooperative owned by UC Berkeley undocumented
students who consult with local non-profit and community organizations.
He plans to pursue a graduate degree in Law, and to continue being an
agent of social change. His dedication to advocating for immigrants and
students stems from his faith, humanitarian perspective on life and his
lived experiences. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his
friends and family.
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