Thank you for joining us for Digital Student Lobby Conference! Over this weeklong event April 27 through May 1, we will showcase panelists and advocacy efforts related to the relevant student issues, especially as we are differently impacted by COVID-19.
Topic: Student Advocacy Office Hour: Get the Latest Updates From UC Budget & Policy Experts
Monday 12-1pm (For UC Students Only)
Panelists: Seija Virtanen, Crystal Martinez, Shawn Brick, Aidan Arasasingham
Seija Virtanen
Seija Virtanen is the Associate Director of State Governmental Relations on Budget for the University of California. Ms. Virtanen represents the University of California system to the State on all budget related matters and develops the University’s budget strategy. She has been with the University in various budget roles for nine years. Prior to working for the University, Ms. Virtanen was the higher education Consultant for the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and a policy analyst at the Legislative Analyst’s Office. She holds Master of Public Administration and Master of International Studies degrees from the University of Washington, Seattle.
Crystal Martinez
Crystal Martinez joined UC FGR in August 2017. Prior to joining UC, Crystal served in the Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) as legislative assistant for a range of issues, including education, housing, child nutrition, arts and humanities, disabilities and social safety net programs. Before joining Sen. Feinstein’s office, Crystal worked at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of English Language Acquisition, the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs and the Office of the Secretary. In addition, Crystal has served on the staffs of Sen. Tom Udall (NM) and then-Sen. Barack Obama (IL), as well as for Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (TX). Crystal began her career as a social studies teacher in Texas. Crystal received her Bachelor of Arts in political science and computer applications, and her Master of Education from the University of Notre Dame.
Shawn Brick
Shawn is the Director of Student Financial Support at the University of California, where he oversees the implementation of the University’s financial aid policy. His unit focuses on issues of college affordability for undergraduate and graduate students, supports advocacy and accountability at the federal and state level, and provides support to ancillary financial services for students (i.e., tax reporting, loan collection). Shawn began his UCOP career working in Student Financial Support from 2000. He left in 2007 to become the financial aid director at the California College of the Arts, a nonprofit art college in Oakland and San Francisco. In 2009, Shawn returned to public higher education by accepting an offer in Undergraduate Admissions at UCOP, where he focused on community college transfer, the new freshmen admissions eligibility implementation, and communication with the State’s counselors and advisors. He returned to financial aid in 2015 as Associate Director, before joining his current role on an interim and then permanent basis. Shawn holds a B.A. in history and anthropology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a Master’s Degree from the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy.
Aidan Arasasingham
Aidan Arasasingham currently serves as the Government Relations Director for the UC Student Association. Aidan is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Topic: Moving Digital: Supporting Students with a Disability in a Distance Learning Model
Monday 5-6pm
Panelist: Connor Strobel, Jody Greene, David Shevelev (not pictured)
Connor Strobel
Connor is a PhD student in Sociology at UC-Irvine and the current President of the UC Graduate and Professional Council. Connor has worked on issues facing students with disabilities, both in the UC and at other universities, for several years. He’s been active in programs for ensuring an inclusive classroom and mentorship for students with disabilities. He can be reached at cstrobel@uci.edu
Jody Green
Jody Greene came to UC Santa Cruz in 1998 and has served as Professor of Literature, Feminist Studies, and the History of Consciousness. Her research interests include seventeenth- and eighteenth-century British literature; non-dualist Western philosophy, especially the work of Spivak, Derrida, and Nancy; human rights and international law; queer studies; and the history of literary discourse and literary institutions. Her forthcoming collection, co-edited with Sharif Youssef, is The Hostile Takeover: Human Rights after Corporate Personhood. She is the recipient of the UCSC Humanities Division John Dizikes Teaching Award (2008), the Disability Resource Center Champion of Change Award (2018), and, twice, of the UCSC Academic Senate Excellence in Teaching Award (2001, 2014). In 2016 she was appointed the founding Director of the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning (CITL) and she now serves as UCSC’s first Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning.
David Shevelev
Bio pending!
Topic: Learning with Dependents: Supporting Student Parents During the COVID-19 Crisis & beyond
Tuesday, 12-1pm
Panelists: Ilaf Esuf, Sakshi Walia, Sadia Khan, Grace Key (not pictured)
Ilaf Esuf
As California Competes’ Policy and Research Analyst, Ilaf Esuf is committed to improving the state’s higher education and workforce landscape for underrepresented Californians. Her research and analysis aims to increase equity by exploring strategies to mitigate complex systemic issues. Determined to increase opportunity for her community, she draws from years of policy, research, and communications experience to elevate student rights and Californians’ rights to good jobs.
Sakshi Walia
Sakshi Walia hails from southern California, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a double concentration in Finance and Economics and a minor in Political Science from California State University, Fullerton. During her time at Fullerton, she was heavily involved in a Women’s Leadership Program and Student Government for all 5 years where she was Advocacy Coordinator and represented more than 475,000 students. After analyzing data and policy pertaining to national student cohort loan default rates for the American Institutes for Research in DC, she developed a passion for civic engagement and discovered her interest in the legislative process. Soon after graduating, Sakshi served as a legislative aide in the Assembly before transitioning over to the Senate. Sakshi current works for Senator Steve Glazer and staffs his Select Committee on Student Success. She also staffs the following issue areas: K-12 education, higher education, environmental policy, natural resources and water, and public safety. Besides working with Senator Glazer, Sakshi is currently the Chair of the Sacramento Semester Program Alumni Association and Treasurer of Capitol Network. She is also an alumn of the API Staff Academy and is passionate about helping young API women pursue a degree in politics.
Sadia Khan
Bio Pending!
Grace Key
Bio Pending!
Topic: Filling the Gaps: Supporting Undocumented Students In the Age of the Pandemic
Tuesday, 5-6pm
Panelists: Karen Andrade (not pictured), Luis Camacho (not pictured), Brenda Huerta Soto, Angela Chen (not pictured), Jake Brymner
Karen Andrade
Bio Pending!
Luis Camacho
Bio Pending!
Brenda Huerta Soto
Brenda Huerta immigrated from Mexico City at the age of twelve. She recently graduated from UC Riverside with a B.A. in English and Spanish Literature. Throughout her undergraduate years, she was involved in PODER and the UC Undocumented Student Coalition, organizations that advocate for on-campus resources such as legal support, mental health services, mentorship, and financial support for students regardless of immigration status.
During her tenure in PODER, she served as the Outreach Co-Chair, she facilitated presentations at high schools about DACA, AB540 and CA Dream Act to encourage undocumented students to peruse a higher education.
Additionally, she served as a Steering Committee member for California Dream Network, the college component of CHIRLA, where she advocated for pro-immigrant statewide policies. Brenda will continue to be a leader and vocal advocate in her community and plans to attend graduate school in the future to obtain her Master’s in Education.
Brenda currently serves as a Census Field Coordinator for the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice.
Angela Chen
Bio Pending!
Jake Brymner
Jake’s deep appreciation for higher education was fostered by his parents at an early age. While both of Jake’s parents were highly supportive of their children’s education, it was his father’s experience that informed his view of college accessibility. Despite not having the opportunity to pursue higher education himself, Jake’s father understood the impact that college would have on his children’s success. After arriving on campus in Berkeley, Jake realized his drive to support changes in California higher education in order to reach to more students, like his father, and help realize their full potential. Jake Brymner currently serves as the State & Federal Policy Director for The Campaign for College Opportunity. Prior to joining The Campaign, Jake worked as Constituent Services Manager in the Office of Congressman Eric Swalwell. While serving in Rep. Swalwell’s office, he helped launch and develop the office’s constituent services operations, as well as handle a range of policy matters including K-12 and higher education. Jake’s experience also includes working on political campaigns in the Bay Area, ranging from the local to state level. Additionally, Jake was awarded the 2011 Matsui Local Government Fellowship, which granted him the opportunity to work as a legislative intern for San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener. He continues to volunteer for local campaigns and causes that help move the East Bay forward. Jake is a Bay Area native and currently resides in Oakland. Jake holds B.A. degrees in History and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Topic: Assessing Challenges Facing Former Foster Youth in In the Wake of COVID-19
Wednesday, 12-1pm
Panelists: Debbie Raucher, Valeri Garcia, Kenyon Lee Whitman
Debbie Raucher
Debbie Raucher currently serves as the Education Director for John Burton Advocates for Youth. In this role, Ms. Raucher provides leadership and strategic visioning for JBAY’s education work and leads the agency’s policy efforts designed to improve post-secondary educational outcomes for foster youth and students experiencing homelessness. Ms. Raucher has worked in the social services field for over 25 years including extensive work in the areas of implementation of Extended Foster Care and developing solutions to homelessness.
Valeri Garcia
Valeri Garcia has worked in higher education for 20 years in various capacities. She has served as a college softball coach, academic advisor, and as a program coordinator/retention specialist. For the last 12 years, Valeri has served as the Coordinator for the Guardian Scholars Program and as an EOP Retention Specialist. She also represents UC Davis and Guardian Scholars locally and statewide on various committees, organizations, and consortiums related to foster care. Valeri is also an Adult Liaison for the California Youth Connection.
Kenyon Lee Whitman
Kenyon Lee Whitman is the Program Director of the Office of Foster Youth Support Services at UC Riverside where he oversees their flagship program Guardian Scholars. He is working toward a PhD in Higher Education Administration and Policy at UCR. Kenyon’s research focuses on underrepresented students in higher education, specifically, the college-going experiences of foster youth. As a former foster youth, he understands first-hand the challenges foster youth face as they work toward earning a college degree.
Tune In To Learn About UCSA’s priorities
Wednesday, 5-6pm (For UC Students Only)
Presenters: Parshan Khosravi, Ashraf Beshay, Salih Muhammad
Learn more about UCSA staff.
Topic: Ensuring Student Basic Needs Security While Preparing for Economic Insecurity
Thursday, 12-1pm
Panelists: Jessica Bartholow, Ruben E. Canedo, Jamaal Muwwakkil
Jessica Bartholow
Jessica Bartholow is a Policy Advocate with nearly two decades of experience in anti-poverty organizing, advocacy and program development at the local, state and national level. Jessica has co-authored several advocate and program guides and led a coalition to support the passage of several pieces of signed legislation that improve public benefits delivery, consumer protections and financial empowerment for low-income Americans. Jessica holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science and is the 2012 recipient of the Wellstone -Wheeler National Anti-Hunger Advocate of the Year Award.
Ruben E. Canedo
Ruben was born and raised in the border valleys of Mexicali, Imperial, and Coachella. Ruben is a recipient of UC Regents and Chancellor’s Full Scholarship and first-generation alumnus of UC Berkeley. Ruben’s academic coursework and publications focus on public higher education, equity, intersectionality, and systems change. Ruben serves as Director of Equity Initiatives within UC Berkeley’s Division of Equity & Inclusion. His responsibilities include college student basic needs, strategic planning, and mobilization. Ruben was appointed to the dual roles of Chair of the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Committee (2013) and Co-Chair of the UC Systemwide Basic Needs Committee (2014). These efforts focus on research, prevention, sustainability, and advocacy. His efforts have published studies on college student food insecurity and homelessness in higher education and have helped inform both state and federal policies. Additionally, Ruben facilitates keynotes and trainings on healing, life journeys, and maximizing performance. Ruben is a third-degree black belt in traditional karate and helps coach his father’s national team.
Jamaal Muwwakkil
Jamaal Muwwakkil M.A. is the 2019-20 Student Regent-designate and the 2020-21 Student Regent. He is a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the Ph.D. program where his research specializations include African American language and culture, sociocultural linguistics and political discourse. As a first-generation college student, Jamaal transferred from Los Angeles City College to UCLA, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in applied linguistics with college and departmental honors. While at UCLA, he completed an undergraduate thesis focused on the institutional discourse surrounding peer-to-peer file sharing. At University of California, Santa Barbara, his M.A. thesis addressed the discourse of politically conservative student groups on a UC campus. His dissertation research focuses on institutional discourses concerning diversity and inclusion at minority serving institutions. Consistently engaged in advocacy, Jamaal served as a peer mentor with the Center for Community College Partnerships while an undergraduate, and served as president of the Black Graduate Student Association at UC Santa Barbara. Additionally, he works with UC-HBCU Pathways Initiative and other outreach programs to aid in UC access for underrepresented students.
Topic: Reducing the Pandemic’s Impact on System-Impacted Students
Thursday, 5-6pm
Panelists: Azadeh Zohrabi, Elizabeth Moya (not pictured), Valeria Garcia, Mac Hoang (not pictured), Joshua Solis (not pictured)
Azadeh Zohrabi
Azadeh is an activist and strategist with extensive experience in public policy, leadership development, community organizing, and management. As the daughter of two formerly incarcerated parents, Azadeh is deeply familiar with the intergenerational impacts of imprisonment. She has been active in prison reform efforts and advocacy for nearly 20 years. Azadeh previously worked at Legal Services for Prisoners with Children leading the organization’s fundraising and program management. Prior to that she worked in leadership roles as a lawyer, advocate, researcher, and organizer on statewide and national campaigns including the successful effort to end long term solitary confinement in California. She is a co-founder of the Ella Baker Worker’s Association and helped negotiate their first contract. Her work has been cited by courts, attorneys, and scholars and has been featured in The New York Times, The Nation, The Guardian, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Ebony, Mother Jones and Al Jazeera. Azadeh earned her BA from UC Riverside where she studied Ethnic Studies and a JD from UC Hastings College of the Law. She is an active alumna of the Women’s Policy Institute, Soros Justice Fellowship, and New Leaders Council Oakland. Currently, Azadeh serves as the Director of the UC Berkeley Underground Scholars program.
Elizabeth Moya
Elizabeth Moya (she/her/hers) is the Renaissance Scholars Program Counselor at UC Santa Cruz. She brings her professional and personal experience working with former foster youth, formerly incarcerated/system impacted students and other extenuating circumstances through a trauma-informed and social work lens. She is a proud Renaissance Scholars alumna due to her own personal background being formerly homeless, parents with severe drug and alcohol dependency, physical abuse, and other trauma-induced experiences throughout childhood. Despite what her personal background is, she turned her pain into motivation to get herself through college and advocate for others who experienced similar family circumstances.
Elizabeth graduated from UC Santa Cruz in Sociology and Legal Studies in 2013. In 2018, she received her Master of Social Work degree from San José State University with a concentration in Children, Youth and Families. Elizabeth’s work reflects her care and commitment to ensure equitable practices are attainable for the Renaissance Scholars community.
Valeria Garcia
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco (Mexico) Valeria moved to the U.S. at the age of 2. She began her academic journey at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) where she found a supportive undocu-friendly network. Valeria earned Bachelor degrees in Human Development and Sociology. She later pursued a graduate degree in Community Development from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to learn how to effectively support immigrant communities. While at UC Davis, Valeria held two positions that allowed her re-direct her focus to work with and for undocumented students. As the Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) the Diversity Officer, she created a website and revised the graduate handbook to include information for prospective and current graduate undocumented students. Moreover, as the Retention Coordinator at the AB540 & Undocumented Student Center, she worked closely with undocumented students. Valeria developed programs and workshops to support students, but what she most enjoyed was advising and mentoring students, informally. Valeria is the first and only person in her family to achieve a college degree, and that continues to motivate her to ensure all students have access to a postsecondary education. When Valeria is not in the office, she enjoys spending time with family, watching shows (too many shows!), eating at new restaurants, riding her bike, and spending time with Riley, her 13 lb. dog.
Mac Hoang
Bio Pending!
Joshua Solis
Bio Pending!
