Meet Our ELLA Class of 2022!

Gisela was born and raised in Bucaramanga, a medium-sized city in the northeast of Colombia, where she graduated from Law School in 2018. Her fascination with traveling the world and learning about other cultures led her to move to San Francisco at the end of 2018. Since she moved to San Francisco, she surrounded herself with incredibly creative and talented women that inspired her to flip her switch, pursuing a certificate in Digital Marketing from UC Berkeley Extension in 2021. Gisela thrives on creating and improving compelling customer experiences utilizing modern Digital Marketing tools. She strives to impact other people and the world around her positively and seeks to empower other women and girls in the Latinx community to overcome impostor syndrome and be their most authentic selves and succeed.

Xochilth is a first-generation college graduate who was born and raised in East Side San Jose. She graduated San Jose State with a major in Public Health in December 2021 and hopes to give back to the community she grew up in. As a first-generation student and sibling, she aspires to be a role model to her siblings and others to pursue their desires. She has the privilege of working for Catholic Charities in a family resource center as a community worker where she has learned valuable professional skills such as outreaching, facilitating workshops for parents and children and providing resources and information necessary to low- income diverse families in the East Side of San Jose. She is fortunate enough to work where she makes an impact in the community to promote a healthier life by providing services. On her free time, she enjoys going on hikes, hanging out with friends and family, watching series and having adventures. She aspires to be a catalyst for change in her neighborhood as she has first-hand witnessed and experienced all the health disparities this community goes through.

Marina was born in San Jose but grew up in Monterey Bay. She is currently a first generation college student at San Jose State University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chicanx Studies. She will graduating this Summer 2022 in July. Through her College education Marina has realised that her passion is to providemental heath resource to the Latinx community. She plans to incorporate her heritage and culture with my passion for psychological to develop skills to help service her community. Through she is just at the beginning of her professional career she is excited and eager to learn. Marina is very close to her mother and is her constant motivation and inspire to continue moving forward to make a positive impact on the world and her community.

Sonia is a Program Manager at Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Mateo County. Sonia studied at San Jose State University, where she received her BA in Sociology and minor in Justice Studies. She is the first to graduate from a 4 year-university. Sonia immigrated to the Bay Area with her family when she was seven. She is motivated by her own background to give back to her community. Sonia has been involved with volunteer work for the with combined experiences from tutoring and advocating for youth, holding various positions for a Non-profit organization, SIREN and currently Sexual Assault Counselor. Sonia hopes to continue to make a difference in her community.

San Jose resident Linda Cebrero grew up in a family of 5 siblings with her being the second oldest. Always being art inclined as a child and drivin by entrepreneurship tendencies, Linda has dabbled into many industries. As an entrepreneur Linda is always educating herself in various topics to improve her business marketing skills. After high school while working in multiple sales jobs, Linda tried out different mediums of art which led to commission work and dabbling into tattooing where she ended up taking a tattoo internship in Anaheim. While being a free spirit, she has been in and out of college where she has taken classes for mechanics, art, economics and is yet to choose a major. In 2020 her family started a food service business in which she oversaw and managed the marketing team. She is now trademarking and obtaining her LLC for her personal art brand. Her hopes are to advocate through her art to represent community stories and let people know that they’re being heard/seen and not alone. She is currently collaborating with other artists throughout California to create murals and digital art in a city near you. Linda is working at a non profit organization assisting in coordinating training and young adult development. She’s president of the corps member council that’s within the organization where she leads a team that coordinates monthly events for those in the job training program.

Born and raised in the Silicon Valley Bianca has a passion for technology and values the importance of inclusion. Being a first generation Mexican student she currently is pursuing her first degree in Business Administration at Mission College. Currently she is on her career journey to pivot into the tech industry, she hopes to share her perspective and guidance with her community and amplify latinas in tech.

Jazmin is a first-generation college student that paves the way for her siblings to follow in her footsteps when navigating their educational path. Due to her experiences with her grandparents and the medical system, she wants to aid others— especially the Latinx community because of the lack of Spanish-speaking healthcare professionals. She wants to address the inequities and tackle the disparities that exist in communities of color which contributes to her passion for medicine and pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant. As she finishes her last semester at UC Berkeley, where she will receive a BA in Public Health and minor in Public Policy, she feels academically equipped with skills and experiences to help create change in the health system. Being a College Success Advisor for the Latino Education Advancement Foundation (LEAF), she fosters an environment that increases the number of underserved students in higher education, learns how to navigate college, and provides support to their parents.

Ana Escalante was born in Mexico and was raised in San Jose, CA. Throughout her academic journey, she has found the fields of education and STEM fascinating. Ana is passionate about increasing representation and equity in the field of STEM. Growing up it was difficult imagining herself in those spaces but she later learned that she was paving the way for others like her. Ana graduated in June 2021 from the University of California, Santa Cruz and obtained a Bachelor’s in Science in Science Education with a focus on Chemistry and Biology teaching subjects. Since graduating Ana has worked as an Educator leading innovation and STEM labs at the non-profit, The Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose, CA. In addition, she is transitioning to a new role at Cañada College as the Interim Program Services Coordinator for the Dream Center.

Mariela Frías is a first-generation, queer, Afro-Latina born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, a small city just off the coast of the Caribbean, and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. Mariela's career has focused on racial equity, social activism, and community building, leading her to uplift our future generations by helping cultivate a new world of innovative, insightful, and inspiring leaders. She aims to conduct original research by providing critical resources and learning opportunities for nonprofits around racial justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion as the Nonprofit Racial Justice Fellow for the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits.

Many close to Alejandra Garcia would describe her as an athletic nerd. When she is not playing soccer with her team in East Bay or exploring a new hiking trail, she is most likely in a Research and Development lab fulfilling her role as Engineering Program Manager. As a kid growing up in Santa Ana, California, her dream was to become an architect, but her love for Math and Physics put her on a different path, one that would take her to Stanford University. Through college courses and internships, Alejandra learned of the incredible work being done in the sustainable energy space. After obtaining her Mechanical Engineering degree, she joined the effort to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy at Tesla. Alejandra hopes to explore the science, technology, and policy nexus, and work at this intersection to bring about innovation and opportunities for people of all backgrounds.

Elisa Guizar is a first generation proud Latina working as the Collective Impact Coordinator for a collective focused organization in Redwood City. Her passion of empowering the youth to create change in their communities has helped her develop new opportunities for youth in her everyday work. Elisa’s enthusiasm in helping create change in the community, energy, and eagerness to learn will help her succeed in her role. She is passionate to create collaborative spaces to catalyze systems change.She is always looking for ways to grow professionally and is working on becoming the best version of herself. Elisa hopes to inspire her siblings and the young generation by stepping into unfamiliar spaces and helping create opportunities that include more BIPOC in leadership spaces.

In her free time, Elisa likes spending time with her family, close friends, hiking, baking or binge watching tv shows. She is always down to trying new foods, but Mexican food is her go to.

An innovative and collaborative educator with experience in K-12 schools, Brittany is passionate about fostering and focusing on culturally responsive instruction for all students, the community, as well as equity in education. Skilled at creating innovative curricula and developing differentiated instructional materials for learning. An engaging communicator who enjoys working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment to enhance the learning of all learners regardless of their race, age, gender, or disability. Through mindfulness, environmental strategies, and Restorative Justice techniques, Brittany is someone who connects people through art-related, mindfulness projects.

A full-time student studying Environmental Studies with focus in restoration with the ambition to participate in environmental developmental projects for any community she is apart of. On her leisure days, volunteering for events, traveling, practicing yoga and expressive mindfulness, and experiencing the world’s incredible food is her favorite. As a part time job, she coordinates events for small businesses, and non-profit organizations.

Xiadani (she/her) is a current honoree of Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism and is working with a team of international participants to create an applied compassion capstone by the end of the year. This project will be focused on applying principles of self compassion at a community level, in order to ameliorate the effects of harmful narratives within queer, undocumented, and BIPOC communities, while focusing on how mental health service providers can utilize these tools to improve health outcomes collaboratively.

Xiadani also serves on the board of youth advisor’s for the allcove center, an innovative approach to youth mental health that emphasizes youth voice throughout its program development, center design and even hiring process. During the week, she can be found at the Family Resource Center through Gardner Health Services, providing support and positive parenting techniques to families with kiddos under 5.

Xiadani loves exploring her Oaxacan culture through the indigenous tenet of Guelaguetza, a sharing of gifts, and hopes to pursue a dual Masters in Public health and Social work.

Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Lina is pursuing a bachelor's in entrepreneurship and innovation at Menlo College on a full-ride scholarship. Lina works to destigmatize mental health, raise awareness about climate change, animal cruelty, and the health benefits of a plant-based diet. She is also a University Innovation Fellow through Stanford's d. School, Founder and President of The Veg Club, and brand ambassador at Eclipse Foods, a vegan ice cream startup.

Lina is passionate about social impact and how we can leverage these exciting new technologies with responsibility and empathy. After graduating from Menlo College in December 2022, she hopes to pursue an MBA/J.D. dual program to accelerate her impact on her peers and the world.

Daisy was born and raised in East San Jose, CA. Being the eldest and first to attend and graduate from college she has seen first-hand the disparities affecting her community regarding mental health. Daisy has obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State East Bay University and has been working over two years at YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley serving survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking. In her current role Daisy serves children and the children of survivors through counseling and support groups. Daisy’s passion to help her community was inspired by her experience in a single parent household. Daisy hopes to pursue graduate school fulfilling MFT/LPCC and work towards licensure. She aspires to be the small stepping stone for those in her community to heal from trauma. As a mother now, Daisy continues to work on breaking generational trauma cycles for a healthy and happy upbringing and be a positive role model.

In her free time Daisy enjoys spending time with her family, listening to music, and going on bike rides.

Mirella Maldonado is a driven community advocate who is passionate about education, social justice, financial literacy, and mentoring. She currently works as an Education Programs Coordinator at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, where she leads education programs to expand high quality STEM education, college readiness initiatives, and parent education academies to support Latinos in the Silicon Valley area. Previously, she worked at PwC as an Experienced State and Local Tax Associate. Her passion for enhancing diversity, inclusion and belonging strategies and opportunities to underrepresented candidates drove her to take on extra leadership roles as Recruiting Campus Diversity Champion and Communications lead for PwC's Bay Area North-West ERG group, the Latino Inclusion Network. Outside of work, Mirella serves on the board of Prospanica Silicon Valley as the Education and Corporate Relations Officer. Prospanica is a nationally recognized professional organization with a mission to empower and uplift Latino professionals. Mirella is a first generation Latina who graduated with a bachelor's degree in Accounting from San Jose State University in 2019. She is a dedicated change agent who strives to inspire those around her to innovate and grow. In her free time she is a gym fanatic, practices mindfulness regularly, loves to plan trips and go to festivals, and spends quality time with her family, friends, and her lucky black cat Clover.

Karla is a driven and innovative first-generation Latina raised in East Side San Jose who is passionate about advocating for the needs of the undocumented community as well as advancing women of color in the workplace and into positions of leadership. Karla’s academic and career journey has focused on racial justice and equity, intersectional feminism, education, and immigrant advocacy. She currently serves her community as an Education Programs Coordinator at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley where she coordinates and executes the organization’s education initiatives and programs for Latinx families and students in the Silicon Valley. Karla graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2019 and received a B.A in Sociology and minor in Legal Studies. In her free time, Karla enjoys working out, traveling, exploring art, fashion, and new food/restaurants. ere

Ciana Moreno is a compassionate advocate for social justice and equity driven by her love of community and family. A frequent political campaigner, she is currently assisting on the Peter Ortiz for San José City Council campaign as the Communications Director where she oversees media, communications, and research. She has previously been a Field Organizer for both municipal and presidential campaigns, where she was an integral part in advocacy for local issues and young adult outreach. She utilized her research and writing skills as a Research Associate with the nonprofit Build A Movement, where her findings were an integral part in the creation of a training guide for nonviolent activists on a global scale. Passionate about the power of community and media, Ciana is the Social Media Coordinator for South County Peaceful Protests, a grassroots social justice group, where she researches local issues, creates informational graphics, and coordinates protests.

Ciana is currently the Communications and Administrative Coordinator at the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, where she utilizes her skills in writing and marketing to further the organization’s communications strategy. She received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Communications from Northeastern University and an Associate of Arts in Communication Studies from De Anza Community College.

Teresa Perez immigrated to the United States 14 years ago with her mother and siblings, escaping violence and economic insecurity from Mexico. At a very young age, Teresa experienced what it is to be an immigrant in the land of the free.

As an immigrant, Teresa understands that opportunity is not created equally across the United States and as such she has dedicated her time and energy to ensure people of all backgrounds have the same opportunities to achieve their dreams.

`Teresa is the program coordinator for Renaissance Peninsula, a nonprofit supporting entrepreneurs. As a first-generation college graduate, she works with clients to assess their entrepreneurial potential and evaluate their unique challenges in order to support them in becoming business leaders.

Liliam Perez Avila moved eight years ago to the United States from Bogota city. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A in Political Science. Currently, she is working as a Strategy and Advocacy Coordinator in Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, a non-profit that serves low-income residents from San Mateo and Santa Clara County. For her, working with and for the community is critical to creating a better world. Prior to Second Harvest, she worked as a Community Outreach Coordinator for San Mateo County with the Latino community, helping residents and connecting them with resources, especially during COVID. She is also passionate about women’s rights and conflict resolution strategies.

Dennise Puente is a first generation low-income queer Chicanx native to the East side of San Jose CA. They graduated from Mills College with a B.A. in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality studies with a concentration in Queer studies and a minor in Sociology. Their passion for supporting underserved communities has led them to work as a Residential Services Coordinator at LifeMoves a shelter for families and single women in Silicon Valley and as a Alumni College Mentor at Downtown College Prep a school that serves predominantly first generation low income Latinx students. In their spare time Dennise is usually with their siblings, friends, thrifting, making art or exploring food around San Jose with their partner. They thrive off of meaningful relationships and genuine words of affirmations from community. Dennise strives to make a positive impact within their queer Latinx community and their families in San Jose as this is a community that is very significant to the person Dennise is today and is important to the future Dennise envisions for queer Latinx folks in San Jose.

Brianna is a part time student and part time administrative assistant for a local non-profit called Prosperity Lab. With a minor in science, she plans to obtain her bachelors in business and is currently learning and exploring the ins and outs of the non-profit world. Her ultimate goal is to uplift others and make a difference in her community. Born and raised in San Jose,Ca she takes a particular interest in empowering local entrepreneurs to begin their own business ventures. She is currently on board to help develop a female digital empowerment business academy which will help women-owned businesses launch, grow or expand. In her free time she is either creating art or attending local pop ups to eat great food with friends and help support small businesses.

Marinez is a proud daughter of immigrants and values her Mexican heritage. Born and raised in the Central Valley, she experienced the various financial and educational barriers others in her community face. Today, she is driven to give back to her community by increasing access high quality education, and opportunities to thrive in the economy. Marinez has a passion for helping underserved communities. She has worked with the Black, Indigenous and People of color (BIPOC) community by providing resources, creating connections, delivering support, and engaging in advocacy. Marinez is committed to helping others receive the adequate education, knowledge, and support necessary to thrive in today’s economy. Marinez received her BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Public Relations at California State University, Sacramento.

Gabriella is a Program Coordinator at First 5 Santa Clara County. She has a bachelor’s degree in Child and Adolescent Development from San Jose State University. Prior to FIRST 5, she has experience working as a teacher’s aid for the Associated Students Child Development Center at San Jose State University and as an assistant in her mom’s licensed family child care home daycare. Currently, Gabriella supports the implementation of the myTeachstone program offered to family child care home providers in Santa Clara County. This professional development program is a research-based, all-in-one platform designed to focus, measure, and improve teacher-child interactions -- a key factor proven to drive children’s academic and life-long success. Gabriella has learned so much through this work and it motivates her to bring awareness on how to provide solutions in overcoming the challenges and struggles small business owners face, especially in the Latinx community. She also plans to attend graduate school and pursue her MBA in Child and Adolescent Development. In her spare time, you will find Gabriella enjoying time with her family, friends, church community, and 1 year old puppy Coco.

Christabel Soria Mendoza is a first generation low-income college graduate from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She graduated in June 2021 with a B.S. City & Regional Planning, complemented by an Ethnic Studies minor. While studying and pursuing her degree, she opened the door to the planning profession for herself by excelling in planning internships at PlaceWorks and CalTrans District 5, where she worked on a variety of planning projects, including infill development, comprehensive planning, visioning, downtown revitalization, transit-oriented development, streetscape and parks design, mixed-use development, large-scale master plans, and transportation planning. Christabel has a particular interest in community engagement, especially as it pertains to equity, diversity, and inclusion. She values community outreach and utilizes her engaging personality, adaptability, and bilingual skills (Spanish/English) to unify various groups and encourage participation in community planning.

Vivian is an analyst at the Santa Clara VTA as part of the Office of Civil Rights. Her current focus is on Title VI, Title VII, ADA investigations, and DEI initiatives.

She currently serves as a board member for her alma mater’s Latinx Alumni Society. Vivian earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics at the University of San Francisco. During her studies, she also earned a certificate of Social Sciences at the Institut des Études Sciences Politiques (SciencesPo) where she studied credit access in developing countries, the effects of policy on workforce replenishment, and the efficacy of taxation in greenhouse gas abatement.

In her spare time, Vivian enjoys curating book selections for the Little Free Libraries, sketching her dream home, taking spontaneous trips, and shopping with her eyes (not her wallet). She hopes to attend graduate school very soon for either law, business, communications, or policy.

Sheyla devotes her career fulfilling her professional and personal dream identifying opportunities to increase access to higher education among youth of color in San Jose. As the Strategic Initiatives Advisor in the Office of Mayor Sam Liccardo, you’ll find her building a strategic plan to advance education initiatives. Despite the barriers she faced, Sheyla is proud to be a first-generation college graduate. She earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from San Francisco State University, later earned a master’s degree in public administration from University of San Francisco. Sheyla is always looking for a challenge, she cherishes every opportunity that she is granted, and is grateful to everyone that has uplifted her through her rocky journey.

In her spare time, you can find Sheyla at a coffee shop, hiking, spending time with her dog, starting a DIY project or organizing her pantry! She is an introvert and thrives in small, meaningful conversations. Still, don’t feel afraid to probe her for more. Sheyla deeply values all of her relationships.

Yazmin Vallejo-Gonzalez was borned and raised in San Jose, California as the eldest of 5 children in a blended family home. She is currently a third year student at California State University Monterey Bay in pursuit of her Bachelors degree in Collaborative Health and Human Services. Throughout her college course she was able to find passion in working with the community through her service learning courses. She now works for Catholic Charities as a community worker at the Hubbard Family Resource Center targeting parental and child support to families residing in low-income zip codes of San Jose. She values the building of connection, trust, and understanding of the communities she serves. She is eager to continue her trajectory of lifelong learning, through new opportunities. In the beginning of March she will shift her career path to working at AACI a non-profit organization who strives to strengthen the resilience and hope of diverse community members by improving their health and well-being as a family partner and patient advocate. Growing up with grandparents that were often in and out of the hospital she experienced first hand how ill-mannered and inequitable hospital processes and interactions are. This led her to understand the importance of serving with passion and dedication, especially in institutions of care. She hopes to continue to broaden her knowledge and work in the public health sector in ensuring equitable access and positive experiences within hospitals in promoting holistic well-being of the community.

In her free time you can find her spending time with her family, partner and friends, cooking, or exploring new places.

Tatiana Villaseñor, is a compassionate and empathetic community driven and empowered Chicana. Growing up she was very close to my maternal grandma, who was always very active in the community. Her abuelita was involved with social justice initiatives by the Catholic Church and PACT. Her values were passed on to Tatiana’s mother who, while Tatiana was growing up, was a programs manager at Catholic Charities, and now is a Programs Director at Uplift families services. Being exposed to injustice in the community at such an early age definitely set her forth on the trajectory towards pursuing her degrees in Sociology combined with Latin American and Latino Studies and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies from UC Santa Cruz. Tatiana currently works as Senior Education Organizer at Rocketship Public Schools, and has been working at the org for the past 3.5 years. She definitely grew a lot as a person within these past couple of years. She is very rooted in my community and is a firm believer in giving back to the community that raised her.