Valerie Smith, a distinguished scholar of African American literature, is the 15th president of Swarthmore College, where her priorities have included attracting more low-income and first- generation students, supporting curricular innovation, increasing the diversity of the student body, and strengthening relationships between the College and the region. Her efforts during the largest campaign in the College’s history generated unprecedented support for students and for transformative facilities projects that provide new opportunities for collaboration and community building. President Smith is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the American Council on Education, the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, and the National Museum of the American. Indian. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Bates College, she earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Virginia. Prior to her arrival at Swarthmore, she was a professor of English and African American Studies at UCLA and the Woodrow Wilson Professor of Literature, founding director of the Center for African-American Studies, and the dean of the college at Princeton University. She is the author of three books on African American literature and culture and the editor or co-editor of five others.

Tomoko Sakomura is Professor of Art History and Dean of Students at Swarthmore College. Her scholarship explores the relationships between text and image in Japanese art and design. She is the author of Poetry as Image: The Visual Culture of Waka in Sixteenth-Century Japan (Brill, 2016). Sakomura holds a BA in Art History from Keio University, Tokyo, and an MA and PhD in Art History and Archaeology from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Miriam Feldblum is co-founder and executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. She previously served as vice president for student affairs, dean of students, and professor of politics at Pomona College, as special assistant to the president and faculty research associate at Caltech, and assistant professor of politics at University of San Francisco. A national expert on the intersection of immigration and higher education and author of Reconstructing Citizenship: The Politics of Nationality Reform and Immigration in Contemporary France, Miriam has written extensively and delivered presentations on undocumented, international, and refugee students, immigration policy and higher education, and highly skilled labor in the United States.  She is a non-resident fellow at the Migration Policy Institute

Louis E. Caldera is the former Secretary of the Army and served as president of The University of New Mexico from 2003 to 2006. Louis also served in the Obama Administration as an assistant to the president and the Director of the White House Military Office. In addition to serving in senior higher education leadership roles, Louis has served in education policy and philanthropy roles and taught Constitutional law and other courses at Loyola Law School Los Angeles, The University of New Mexico, American University, and George Washington University. He is the co-founder and the co-chair of The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, has served on numerous nonprofit boards, and currently serves on three public company boards. He also currently serves on the boards of The Corps Network, the national association of youth serving conservation corps, and the Latino Corporate Directors Association, and previously served as a trustee of Claremont McKenna College and on the board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.  The son of Mexican immigrants and a graduate of West Point, Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, Louis writes and speaks about and is frequently interviewed in English and in Spanish on domestic, foreign policy, and national security matters.

Eva A. Millona was appointed as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant  Secretary for Partnership and Engagement on May 26, 2021. In this role, she serves as the  Secretary’s primary advisor on the impact of the Department’s policies, regulations, processes,  and actions on state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) governments, SLTT elected officials, non governmental organizations, the private sector, and the academic community, ensuring a unified  approach to external engagement. 

Prior to joining DHS, Ms. Millona was President and Chief Executive Officer for over 12 years  at the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), the largest organization  in New England promoting and enhancing integration for new Americans. She held multiple  leadership positions with MIRA for over 20 years. During her tenure, she led the organization  through multiple policy advancements, built a vision of inclusion and the fabric of trusted  relationships. Ms. Millona is co-founder of and co-chaired the Massachusetts Business  Immigration Coalition in 2018. In 2010, she was co-founder of and co-chaired for 11 years the  National Partnership for New Americans, a National organization focused on immigrant  integration at the local, state, and federal levels. Ms. Millona also chaired the 2020 U.S. Census  Statewide Complete Count Committee in Massachusetts. 

A native of Albania, Ms. Millona practiced civil and criminal law before becoming the youngest  district judge ever appointed to Tirana’s District Court, where she served from 1989 to 1992.  After immigrating to the U.S., she directed the refugee resettlement program in Central  Massachusetts. She served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Massachusetts  Governor’s Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants under four governors, the Attorney  General’s Council for New Americans, and the Advisory Board for the Boston Mayor’s Office  for Immigrant Advancement. Ms. Millona taught Global Policy as an adjunct professor of  practice at Boston College School of Social Work.

Today Ms. Millona is recognized both nationally and internationally as an expert and leader on  immigration policy and immigrant and refugee integration. She has received numerous awards  for her leadership and impact, including the prestigious U.S. Citizenship and Immigration  Services 2009 Outstanding American by Choice Award and the 2010 Wainwright Bank Social  Justice Award. 

Ms. Millona is a graduate of Clark University where she obtained a Master of Arts in Political  Science. She also holds a law degree from the University of Tirana.

Ali Noorani is president & chief executive officer of the National Immigration Forum, a nonpartisan advocacy organization working with faith, law enforcement and business leaders to promote the value of immigrants and immigration. Through innovative constituency, communications and advocacy strategies, Ali is one of the nation’s most creative coalition builders.

Ali provides a principled and reasoned voice on immigration policy and politics at the local, national and global level. He has appeared in the majority of mainstream television, radio and print outlets and is a regular speaker at conferences and campuses across the country.

Ali is an Emerson Dial Fellow, a Fellow at the Arizona State University Social Transformation Lab, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, holds a Master’s in Public Health from Boston University and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. Ali lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Toya Gavin, and is the author of “There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration,” (Prometheus, April 2017) and the upcoming “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants,” (Rowman & Littlefield, April 2022), as well as host of the “Only in America” podcast.  

Maria Gabriela (“Gaby”) Pacheco is an immigrant rights leader from Miami, Florida. As an immigrant with a mix-status family, she’s experienced first-hand the intricacies and difficulties immigrant families face in the US. In 2006, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided her home and attempted to silence her. Her parents and sister were put in deportation proceedings. She’s been central to the advocacy of immigration and immigrant rights, and in 2010, with three other undocumented students, they led the Trail of Dreams, a four-month walk from Miami to Washington, DC. She spearheaded the efforts that led to the announcement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Pacheco, at the age of eight, migrated to the United States with her family from Guayaquil, Ecuador. On April 22, 2013, Pacheco became the first undocumented Latina to testify in front of Congress, speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the urgent need for immigration reform. Pacheco has received numerous accolades; Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30: in Education, 40 Under 40: Latinos in American Politics, and 2015 she received a Doctoral Degree in Humanities Honoris Causa from The New School. Pacheco was profiled in Elle magazine alongside America Ferrera, Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick and others for a feature production on the world’s most accomplished 30-year-old women. She appeared on the June 2012 TIMES Magazine cover along with 30 other immigrant leaders. In 2018, she was the recipient of the prestigious Ohtli Award.

She is a nationally known speaker and has written many opinion pieces for several national newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, and US Today to name a few. She can be seen on national television giving her opinion on networks like Univision, Telemundo, MSNBC, CNN, and CNN es Español. She was part of a jazz album ensemble which won three Grammy awards in 2019.

Gaby holds an Associate of Arts degree in Music Education, an Associate of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, and a BA in Special Education K-12 from Miami Dade College.

Gaby is the Director of Advocacy, Development, and Communications for TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth.

Elaine C. Allard is an associate professor at Swarthmore College in the Educational Studies Department and affiliated faculty in the Latin American and Latino Studies program. Her ethnographic research and teaching focus on immigrant and emergent bilingual education, including on the impact of undocumented status on students’ experiences in high school and college. In 2020-21, she served as co-chair of Swarthmore’s Sanctuary Committee, which works toward realizing the promise of sanctuary for Swarthmore’s undocumented and DACA students. Elaine received her B.A. from Swarthmore College and her MsEd. and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Sangina Patnaik is Associate Professor of English Literature at Swarthmore College.  Her research and teaching interests include twentieth-century world literature, Modernism, human rights, and critical legal studies. She is currently finishing a manuscript entitled What We Owe: Reparation in Law and Literature, which studies literary and legal accounts of post-conflict reparations around the world. She was an initial member of the college’s Sanctuary Task force in 2016-7 and is currently chair of the college’s Sanctuary Committee.

Salvador Rangel is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology at Swarthmore College. His previous hands-on experience as an undocumented migrant worker, who labored in the construction and industrial sectors for many years, animates and informs his current research agenda. His book manuscript, “La Jungla: Globalization, Transnational Migrant Labor, and the Meatpacking Industry,” combines ethnographic methodology with macro-level analysis of the changing conditions of work under global capitalism. His research and teaching areas include globalization, race, migration, and the production of migrant illegality. Salvador is strong advocate of public sociology and regularly publishes in mass media outlets, such as Truthout and Telesur, with the goal of making his research accessible to a broader public.

Roberto G. Gonzales is the Richard Perry University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with appointments in the Department of Sociology and the Graduate School of Education. His research focuses on factors that both shape and reduce economic, legal, and social inequalities among vulnerable and hard-to-reach youth populations as they transition to adulthood. Professor Gonzales’s work has been featured in top journals, including the American Sociological Review, Annual Review of Sociology, and Current Anthropology. His published research has been widely cited and has garnered awards from multiple disciplines, including Sociology, Anthropology, and Psychology, as well as from Education, Law, and Social Work. He is an active public scholar and has advised a broad range of stakeholders in the private and public sectors, has briefed members of the U.S. Congress, and has testified on matters of immigration policy before the U.S. Senate. He has also written opinion pieces for The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and The Guardian and is often quoted in the popular media.

Since 2002 Professor Gonzales has carried out one of the most comprehensive studies of undocumented immigrants in the United States. His landmark book, Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America, is based on an in-depth study that followed 150 undocumented young adults in Los Angeles for twelve years. Lives in Limbo has won eight major book awards, including the C. Wright Mills Award given by the Society for the Study of Social Problems and the American Education Research Association Outstanding Book Award. It has also been selected by a number of universities as a common read text and has been used by several dozen school districts and community institutions to train staff. The book was recently optioned for theatrical production. In addition to Lives in Limbo, Professor Gonzales’s other books include Within and Beyond Citizenship: Borders, Membership, and Belonging, and Undocumented Migration. His current projects include a seven year longitudinal study of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has surveyed nearly 2,700 undocumented young adults and interviewed almost 500 DACA beneficiaries, and a collaborative study investigating educator responses to school climate issues stemming from immigration policies.

At Penn, Professor Gonzales is the founding director of the newly formed Penn Migration Initiative, a university-wide effort aimed at advancing and promoting interdisciplinary scholarship and intellectual exchange around issues of immigration policy and immigrant communities. Prior to his appointment at Penn, Professor Gonzales held faculty positions at Harvard University, the University of Chicago and the University of Washington. He received his B.A. from the Colorado College, an M.A. from the University of Chicago, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California Irvine. His research has been supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the WT Grant Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, and the Heising- Simons Foundation.

Qian Julie Wang is the New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country: A Memoir, which was named a New York Times notable book of 2021 and one of President Obama’s favorite books of the year. A graduate of Yale Law School and Swarthmore College, Qian Julie is managing partner of Gottlieb & Wang LLP, a firm dedicated to advancing education, disability, and civil rights on behalf of marginalized communities. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and The Cut, and she has appeared on the TODAY Show, MSNBC, and NPR. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two rescue dogs, Salty and Peppers.

Hyein Lee is Director of Measurement and Evaluation at TheDream.US and is driven by the power of research and evaluation to build evidence-based narratives supporting college and career equity for undocumented immigrants. Hyein came to the United States at the age of 17 from South Korea as an international student and is passionate about supporting immigrant students in higher education. She developed an interest in applying data to amplify this work while leading evaluation efforts for college access and success programs at the City University of New York. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. Her research focuses on undocumented immigrants in the workforce.

Nancy is the Director of Higher Education Initiatives at Immigrants Rising.  Nancy has directed her skills towards building educational pathways for undocumented students throughout California for more than a decade. Her current work centers around increasing institutional support & equitable access through research, trainings for faculty, staff, & administrators, and elevating promising practices at California colleges & universities. Nancy is currently coordinating an intersegmental workgroup to increase equitable implementation of in-state tuition (AB 540/SB 68).She has also developed a library of educational materials.

Azeez Alimi is a recent graduate of Lehman College where he studied Social Work, Finance and Marketing. As a CUNY student, he relished in the pursuit of an equitable education for all, leading him to become a Student Government Associate (SGA) member where he advocates for all students. He seeks to welcome the next stage of his life as he pursues his MSW. In the meantime, he continues to champion the next generation of leaders through his commitment to mentorship, advocacy, and community through his work with the Urban Male Leadership Academy (UMLA) at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC).

Cecilia Silva is a second semester transfer student at CSU San Marcos, majoring in Sociology. Ceci works at the Dreamer Resource Office (DRO) and is excited to learn of the many different ways to assist mixed-status students like herself to obtain the higher education we want and our parents hoped for.

Cezanne Hayden-Dyer is a Project Associate with the Presidents’ Alliance. She is a Student Strategy Table Member and she contributed to the development of the Higher Ed Immigration Portal. Cezanne is also a TheDream.US scholar. She has an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice and is completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources at Miami Dade College.

Marcos Estrada is a fourth-year student at Swarthmore College, majoring in Neuroscience and Spanish. He was born in Colombia and raised in South Florida. During his first year in college, he got involved as a leader for Swatties/Students for Immigrant Rights (SIR), a student-led organization focused on providing a safe space and advocating for the rights of undocumented and DACAmented students. After graduation, he intends to pursue a career in the legal sector, where he can continue to work as an advocate for immigrants and human rights. His interests focus on bringing awareness about the immigrant’s role in a community.

Luz Bertadillo Rodriguez serves as the Project Manager for the State and Policy Campus Initiatives. Luz has over 8 years of experience working in the k-12 educational system, college access non-profit sector, and higher education. Luz’s expertise includes creating change with undocumented students in California and New York through Undocumented Student Programs, such as the Dream Center at Mt San Antonio College and the Immigrant Student Success Center at John Jay College. More recently, her professional and personal work has revolved around merging mental wellness and immigration through the founding of the UndocuChats Collective. Luz holds an AA and BA in Psychology from Mt. San Antonio College and UC Berkeley and a MSW from Columbia University. 

Jennifer Marks-Gold is the Assistant Dean and Director of International Student Programs and has been the Primary Designated School Official at Swarthmore College for more than 13 years. She supports the International Student population at Swarthmore College (Non-immigrants, Undocumented/DACAmented, and Americans Living Abroad, Dual Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Exchange Students). She is an original member of the Sanctuary working group at Swarthmore College. In addition, she has provided consultations relating to international student programs and Student and Exchange Visitor Program compliance with 12 additional colleges and universities.  Jennifer is a member of the National Association of International Educators (NAFSA), NASPA and the Philadelphia Area International Educators’ Network, where she also serves as co-treasurer. Jennifer Marks-Gold has a B.S. degree from Drexel University and a M.Ed. from Cabrini College. She attended The Institute of Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) in Berlin, Germany studying Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations.

Don co-founded and served as chairman of the District of Columbia College Access Program that has helped double the number of DC public high school students going on to college and has helped triple the number graduating from college. He remains a member of the DC-CAP board. Since its inception, DC-CAP has assisted over 23,000 DC students enroll in college and has provided scholarships totaling more than $33 million.

Upon learning of the plight of undocumented students with no access to college, Graham co-founded TheDream.US, a national scholarship fund for DREAMers, created to help undocumented immigrant youth get access to a college education. His wife, journalist Amanda Bennett (formerly Director of Voice of America) joined him in this endeavor. Graham is a trustee of the Federal City Council. He also served as a director of the College Success Foundation, KIPP-DC, The Summit Fund of Washington, Facebook, and was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board.

Veyom Bahl (he/him) is a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he is exploring new ways for philanthropy to address poverty and racial justice in American cities.  Previously, Veyom was a managing director at Robin Hood, New York City’s largest poverty fighting organization. Over nine years in philanthropy, Veyom designed, supported, and scaled social programs that served more than 100,000 people and secured $300 million in public and private funding nationwide.

Prior to Robin Hood, Veyom worked on social enterprise programming at the White House and at the Young Foundation in London. He began his career as a public finance investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley.  Veyom holds a Master’s in Urban Development Planning from the Bartlett at University College London (Distinction) and a bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania (summa cum laude). He was also Fulbright Scholar to Mexico.

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Flavio Bravo currently serves as one of the Directors of the Phoenix Immigrant Scholarship Hustle program, which is dedicated to guiding cohorts of undocumented youth in their transition to college with confidence, competence, and conviction. A proud first-generation college graduate, Flavio received a Master’s degree in Migration Studies from the University of San Francisco and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University Chicago in Political Science and Philosophy with an Emphasis in Social Justice.

Abby holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University.  She is currently pursuing an educational leadership doctorate at the University of California, Davis. She has over 18 years of experience in the field of education.  She is an experienced educational consultant with expertise in bilingual and cross-cultural literacy development.  Abby has served most recently as a director for TRIO programs at UC Berkeley, serving low-income, first-generation-to-college students. She served as the inaugural Hispanic Serving Institutional Director at Chabot College, leading El Centro, the Adult Education Program and the Dream Center. She is most proud of the innovative programs she has spearheaded throughout her career that aim at reshaping systems of learning to better serve disproportionately impacted students.  Abby currently serves as the Dean of Academic Pathways and Student Success.

Dr. Carolyn H. Livingston is the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at Carleton College. Best known for its academic excellence and warm, welcoming campus community, Carleton is a small, residential private liberal arts college in the historic river town of Northfield, Minnesota. Prior to coming to Carleton, Livingston was Senior Associate Vice President for Student Life and Title IX Coordinator for Students at Emory University.  She also held positions at the University of Virginia. Livingston has published articles and presented papers on assessment and evaluation, persistence and graduation for first generation and low income students, and staffing practices in higher education. She holds both a doctorate and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from N.C. State University.

Candy Marshall brings a lifelong commitment to equity in education and health care. She currently serves as president of TheDream.US – the nation’s largest college access and success program for undocumented students with over 7,500 Scholars and 70+ Partner Colleges. Candy helped found this organization based on her belief that all Americans, regardless of where they were born, should have the opportunity to get a college education and pursue a meaningful career.

She currently serves on the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) and the Seattle

Children’s Hospital and Research Center Board of Trustees – both institutions that are committed to educational and health equity.

Prior starting TheDream.US, Candy served as a leader at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation helping develop and scale the organization and its Global Health programs. Previously, Ms. Marshall was executive VP and general counsel at a Pacific Northwest technology firm. Ms. Marshall earned a law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law, with distinction, Order of the Coif, and a bachelor’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in criminal justice.

Hassanatou is a senior at CUNY John Jay,  majoring in criminal justice with a minor in law. She aspires to go to Law school because she believes that representation matters, and there should be more POCs in the law field. Hassanatou made college a reality due to the Dream.US scholarship. Throughout her undergraduate career, Hassanatou has sought accessible professional opportunities for all students. She was fortunate to have been selected to be part of the UCLA Dream summer in 2021. At her placement at the Yemeni American Merchant Association, she learned the importance of civic participation and federal, state, and local elections. Hassanatou is currently in the High School to College Pipeline Fellowship as part of the Immigrant Students Success Center at John Jay. As a Peer Advocate Fellow, Hassanatou supports and guides the college process for undocumented High School students. She aspires to remind and provide resources to undocumented students that it is possible to further their education after high school and beyond. 

Melanny is a Program Manager at TheDream.US.  A DACA recipient, she holds an Associate of Arts degree from Wilbur Wright College – City Colleges of Chicago. Buitron was awarded TheDream.US scholarship and  graduated debt-free from Northeastern Illinois in May of 2019 with a BA in Business Administration. She held leadership roles in multiple student organizations such as Student Government Association, Undocumented Resilient, and Organized (URO), and Latin America Student Organization (LASO). She accepted a Title V capstone opportunity as lead intern at the Wright College Humboldt Park campus to roll out a strategic plan that would develop and establish resources and support for undocumented students. She was proud to personally design a first-ever Monarch Butterfly symbol that was used widely across the City Colleges of Chicago. She served as the first undocumented Student Representative on the City Colleges of Chicago Board of Trustees. She interned at multiple civic-oriented organizations such as Chicago Votes, and in the office of Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. 

Gaby Gil is a proud alum of the 2017 Dream Summer fellowship cohort and is dedicated to ensuring that undocumented and DACAmented people are supported and empowered to thrive. Gaby has a background in grassroots organizing for immigrant rights and has experience in curriculum and program development centered on immigrant issues. Gaby graduated from Whittier College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Spanish.

At Whittier College, Gaby worked with peers to create more resources for undocumented students including an undocu emergency fund, pro bono legal services, and ally trainings for faculty and staff. Over the years, Gaby has volunteered at various nonprofit organizations—like Cosecha and the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration—to advocate for immigrant communities by coordinating demonstrations and organizing with community members. Gaby is passionate about uplifting the stories of immigrant youth and helping them reach their full potential as leaders in the immigrant rights, labor, and social justice movements.

Maria is a passionate and dedicated high education professional who focuses on student’s success and career goals. As a former undocumented and DACA recipient, she is an advocate for underrepresented students, dedicated to supporting undocumented students in higher education. In her 10 years of experience, she has learned that this work requires the ability to collaborate, build partnerships, and identify the strengths of her peers to be able to provide successful outcomes for students. In 2021, she assumed the responsibility to create an initiative for undocumented students that provided funding for experiential learning opportunities. This initiative is known as NEBO (Non-Employment Based Opportunities) which provides inclusive professional development that is centered around student learning and mentorship. Collaborating and building partnerships with departments within the university, The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, and TheDream.US were key to the success of this initiative. Maria is developing a four year career curriculum for TheDream.US Scholars. 

Nicole is Senior Program Manager, Career Supports, at TheDream.US. She  has over 13 years of professional experience in higher education and has spent the past 8 years focusing on career education and development.  In her past role as the Director of Career Services at Nevada State College, Nicole focused on scaling and democratizing career education and services for all students while helping build students’ career confidence and social capital. Nicole is passionate about assisting undocumented students with their career advising needs and has created career development resources and opportunities specifically for undocumented students.  Nicole also served as a Career Services Liaison to TheDream.US Scholars and sits on the National Association of Colleges & Employers’ Serving Undocumented Students subcommittee. Nicole received her Master of Education degree from Arizona State University and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College – Moorhead.

Dan Berger is a partner at the immigration law firm of Curran, Berger & Kludt in Northampton, MA. He is an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, on the Legal Advisory Board of the Presidents’ Alliance on Immigration & Higher Education, on the Legal Advisory Council of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, and a member of the USCIS Liaison Committee and also the recently formed Afghanistan Task Force for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Dan has a particular focus on DACA and undocumented students, evaluating options for longer term status, including in monthly sessions for students at thedream.us and the International Language Institute Free English Program. Dan developed his interest in immigration at Harvard University, where he studied immigration history and taught English to adult refugees. He graduated from Cornell Law School and practiced immigration law for over 20 years. His current resume can be found here.

Stephanie is a partner at Hogan Lovells LLP in Washington, D.C., heading the firm’s widely recognized national and international education practice. For 20 years Stephanie has worked with universities, colleges, independent schools, education associations, education companies, and investors to solve a range of legal and regulatory challenges.  No matter the context – counseling, transactions, litigation, or government investigations – Stephanie brings to bear her extensive knowledge of legal and regulatory requirements pertinent to education sector clients. She helps clients navigate rules and procedures related to student financial aid, veterans education benefits, military tuition assistance, accreditation, and education licensure. She advises clients on compliance with nondiscrimination laws, campus security requirements, and privacy and data security laws. Stephanie is an active member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. She regularly speaks and writes on higher education law developments. She was Editor in Chief of the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, and she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Cornelia G. Kennedy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Jaynelle is a proud, brown, Mexican immigrant, daughter, sister and friend. Jaynelle first fell in love with advocacy work after traveling with the ScholarshipsA-Z (SA-Z) team in the summer of 2016 to United We Dream’s Congress in Houston, TX. Jaynelle volunteered with SA-Z, an educational non-profit organization in Arizona, for 5 years holding various positions and leading distinct work. Jaynelle has continued her advocacy work specifically for Undocumented students at the University of Southern California (USC) where she attends full time. Serving as the Chair for the Affordability and Basic Needs Legislative Committee in the Undergraduate Student Government, Jaynelle has been able to bring training to student leaders at USC on effective allyship for Undocumented students as well as spearheading a work study alternative program initiative to ensure Undocumented students have equitable access to opportunities on campus. Jaynelle believes higher education should be a right for all students regardless of their immigration status. 

Astghik Hairapetian is a law fellow at the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy. After law school, she clerked for U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera in the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division. Astghik holds a J.D. from UCLA Law with specializations in Critical Race Studies and International and Comparative Law, and a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from the University of British Columbia.

Sharmaine is the General Counsel at Swarthmore College. She has previously served in multiple roles at Swarthmore, including: College Assistant Secretary; Interim College Secretary, Assistant Vice President for Risk Management and Legal Affairs; Interim Vice President for Human Resources; Coordinator of Staff Development Programs; Director, Equal Opportunity; and EO/Title IX Officer. Prior to her service at Swarthmore, Sharmaine served as Director of Multicultural Life at Saint Joseph’s University. Sharmaine serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and she also serves as Secretary of the Board of Parrish, LLC, which oversees the Inn and Restaurant at Swarthmore College. Sharmaine received her B.S. from Saint Joseph’s University and her J.D. from University of Richmond School of Law.

Jacky Neri Arias is the Director of the Center for Cultural Liberation at Dominican University. Jacky is a proud social justice advocate who has dedicated her career to advocating and supporting students and families from marginalized backgrounds as they navigate inequitable educational systems. Currently, Jacky serves as the director of the Center for Cultural Liberation at Dominican University near Chicago. She has spent the majority of her career working in multicultural affairs, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and advising and retention of historically marginalized students. She is a formerly undocumented Mexican immigrant, a first-generation college graduate, a sister, a daughter, a wife, and a proud mother of a multiracial one-year old. Jacky grew up in the Chicagoland area in a largely Latinx neighborhood, she attended Kenyon College in Ohio where she earned a B.A. in Spanish Area Studies with a concentration in Latinx Studies, and she completed her M.Ed. from the University of Maryland College Park.

Saba is a dreamer, scientist, activist, entrepreneur, and lifelong student. Born in Pakistan, she moved to Fort Worth, TX, at age 11. Her immigration journey has been documented in an award-winning PBS documentary, Dream With Me. She’s passionate about movement building, finding tangible ways to help undocumented youth through organizations such as Immigrants Rising and Presidents’ Alliance, and the representation of women and students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM.  She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Mathematical Biology from Texas Tech University. She is a data scientist at Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, working at the intersection of infectious disease and computational biology.  She is proud to serve as a mentor to young STEMpreneurs at organizations like STEMcx and WETATi, as a community leader fighting for immigration reform at NAKASEC, and as a board member for The Center for Asian Pacific American Women.

Kai K. Martin is an entrepreneurship manager at Immigrants Rising, responsible for providing grant support to undocumented business owners through the SEED grant program.  Passionate about serving the community, Kai volunteers with organizations such as TheDream.us, where she serves as an advisory board member. And the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy, serving as a committee member for the professional development funds program.  Kai holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Cris Mercado is CEO & Founder of GrantAnswers, a data, strategy & product consulting firm for social impact. GrantAnswers has helped client organizations grow operational budgets and earned revenue to +$5MM, accelerate nationwide expansion, and secure funding from top philanthropic foundations and investors. Cris has led initiatives, created content and managed projects to train +650 emerging, diverse technologists for tech careers, to expand opportunities for entrepreneurship nationwide, and to increase higher education access. Trusted by the likes of WSJ, NBC, Teach For America, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce for features, keynotes, and panels, Cris covers workforce development, higher education, entrepreneurship, tech diversity, and his journey from undocumented child to 21 year old, debt-free Ph.D. candidate and Forbes Next 1000 award-winning entrepreneur.

Anh-Thu is the Director of Strategic Partnerships, Democracy Institute at Work. Anh-Thu leads and supports market development initiatives, innovations, and strategic partnerships for worker cooperative creation, scale and growth. She supports DAWI’s NYC work through the NYC Council-funded Worker Cooperative Business Development Initiative, providing consulting, education and technical assistance to emerging worker cooperatives and developers. Her work has encompassed international human rights, social enterprise, and sustainable fashion. She began her career with the UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (UNAKRT), and has launched and consulted on several conscious beauty and fashion brands, including being on the founding team of MAKE Beauty. She studied Classics and Government at Georgetown University and received her JD from the University of Texas School of Law.

Ireri is Senior Program Manager at TheDream.US. She is a passionate student success advocate with more than fifteen years of experience advancing higher education access and success for undocumented, first-generation, lower-income, immigrant students, and students of color at the undergraduate and graduate level. Her expertise lies in working with students to advance their empowerment, and working with institutions and institutional departments to improve policies, practices and protocols that expand educational access and remove barriers for students. She is proud to have a background as a community organizer and use a social justice approach and an equity lens throughout her work. At TheDream.US her efforts focus on advancing the success and persistence of Scholars in college and in their post-graduation goals, including first job, entrepreneurship or graduate school.

Esder Chong founded and led RU Dreamers, a student organization that advocates for undocumented, DACA, and TPS students’ access to higher education. Through this organization, she led efforts to pass institutional and state immigrant inclusive programs and policies. Esder worked with the Rutgers administration to hire an immigrant rights attorney and a full time staff to serve undocumented students at Rutgers. In coalition with state-wide immigrant rights organizations, she advocated for the S699 State Financial Aid Bill which was passed and signed by Governor Murphy on March 9th, 2018 at Rutgers-Newark. She also joined the Let’s Drive NJ campaign to expand access drivers’ license for undocumented NJ residents. As a Schwarzman Scholar, Esder earned her Master of Management Science in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University and is continuing her graduate studies at Harvard University.

Astghik Hairapetian is a law fellow at the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy. After law school, she clerked for U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera in the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division. Astghik holds a J.D. from UCLA Law with specializations in Critical Race Studies and International and Comparative Law, and a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from the University of British Columbia.

Richard is the Outreach Coordinator-Academic Program Manager, University of Michigan. For over 20 years, his experiences in the field of education include expertise in access, inclusion, culturally-relevant support, and community and student empowerment. Previous efforts with the University of Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan University, and University of Michigan provided a wealth of experience supporting undergraduate and graduate students, particularly from communities of color, across student life, academic affairs, outreach, and enrollment management. His continued efforts are aimed at creating educational access and developing leadership-success models for all students through a culturally-relevant critical lens informed by scholarship, practice, and community input. 

Abel Valenzuela Jr. is Professor of Labor Studies, Urban Planning and Chicana/o & Central American Studies and Director of UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. Professor Valenzuela is one of the leading national experts on day labor and has published numerous articles and technical reports on the subject. His research interests include precarious labor markets, worker centers, immigrant workers, and Los Angeles. His academic base is urban sociology, planning, and labor studies. He has published numerous articles on immigrant settlement, labor market outcomes, urban poverty and inequality, including co-editing (with Lawrence Bobo, Melvin Oliver, and Jim Johnson) Prismatic Metropolis: Inequality in Los Angeles (2000) and Immigration and Crime: Race, Ethnicity, and Violence (with Ramiro Martinez Jr., 2006). He has published in American Behavioral Scientist, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Annual Review of Sociology, New England Journal of Public Policy, and other journals.  Dr. Valenzuela earned his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and his M.C.P. and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jose is Director of Policy and Communications at the Presidents’ Alliance. He previously led the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s national immigration portfolios. Jose is barred in Washington, D.C. and Maryland; and is a former Roddenberry Fellow. Jose is also Principal and founder of Masa Group. He has a B.S. in Management from Arizona State University and a J.D. from Baylor Law School. In his free time, Jose enjoys gardening and poker.

Maria Gabriela (“Gaby”) Pacheco is an immigrant rights leader from Miami, Florida. As an immigrant with a mix-status family, she’s experienced first-hand the intricacies and difficulties immigrant families face in the US. In 2006, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided her home and attempted to silence her. Her parents and sister were put in deportation proceedings. She’s been central to the advocacy of immigration and immigrant rights, and in 2010, with three other undocumented students, they led the Trail of Dreams, a four-month walk from Miami to Washington, DC. She spearheaded the efforts that led to the announcement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Pacheco, at the age of eight, migrated to the United States with her family from Guayaquil, Ecuador. On April 22, 2013, Pacheco became the first undocumented Latina to testify in front of Congress, speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the urgent need for immigration reform. Pacheco has received numerous accolades; Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30: in Education, 40 Under 40: Latinos in American Politics, and 2015 she received a Doctoral Degree in Humanities Honoris Causa from The New School. Pacheco was profiled in Elle magazine alongside America Ferrera, Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick and others for a feature production on the world’s most accomplished 30-year-old women. She appeared on the June 2012 TIMES Magazine cover along with 30 other immigrant leaders. In 2018, she was the recipient of the prestigious Ohtli Award.

She is a nationally known speaker and has written many opinion pieces for several national newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, and US Today to name a few. She can be seen on national television giving her opinion on networks like Univision, Telemundo, MSNBC, CNN, and CNN es Español. She was part of a jazz album ensemble which won three Grammy awards in 2019.

Gaby holds an Associate of Arts degree in Music Education, an Associate of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, and a BA in Special Education K-12 from Miami Dade College.

Gaby is the Director of Advocacy, Development, and Communications for TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth.

Eddie is the Political Director for Immigration Campaigns, part of the advocacy team at FWD.us, where he works on state and federal immigration reform. Previously, he has worked for presidential and senatorial campaigns focusing on fundraising, coalition outreach, and strategic communications. Eddie has also worked for a top-tier global public relations firm advancing the communications strategies for clients’ corporate narrative, executive visibility, and high-impact events. He served several scholars and institutions as a researcher, concentrating on immigration, urban development, race and ethnicity, gender, and religion. Eddie earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from City University of New York-Brooklyn College.

Rosa is a locally and nationally recognized advocate for immigrant’s rights, social justice, education and racial equity. She has a history of uplifting and cultivating undocumented youth, Latinx organizers, and building & mentoring powerful women of color. Miss Velázquez has recently joined the Foundation for Social Impact as the Director of Programs and with her over ten years of community organizing, power building, public policy and philanthropic skillset, will provide guidance and direction in helping the foundation develop and implement programs.  She is the co-founder of The Movement Institute, Arkansas’s first Black & Brown Organizing Institute geared towards gathering key partners, organizations, and individuals representing various Black and Brown communities within Arkansas aimed at identifying cross-cultural objectives and goals to build a pipeline for Black & Brown public servants, community organizers and advocates. 

Louis E. Caldera is the former Secretary of the Army and served as president of The University of New Mexico from 2003 to 2006. Louis also served in the Obama Administration as an assistant to the president and the Director of the White House Military Office. In addition to serving in senior higher education leadership roles, Louis has served in education policy and philanthropy roles and taught Constitutional law and other courses at Loyola Law School Los Angeles, The University of New Mexico, American University, and George Washington University. He is the co-founder and the co-chair of The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, has served on numerous nonprofit boards, and currently serves on three public company boards. He also currently serves on the boards of The Corps Network, the national association of youth serving conservation corps, and the Latino Corporate Directors Association, and previously served as a trustee of Claremont McKenna College and on the board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.  The son of Mexican immigrants and a graduate of West Point, Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, Louis writes and speaks about and is frequently interviewed in English and in Spanish on domestic, foreign policy, and national security matters.

José Luis Cruz Rivera is the 17th President of Northern Arizona University (NAU). Before joining NAU in 2021, Dr. Cruz Rivera served as President of Lehman College of The City University of New York (CUNY) and as Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost of the 25-campus system. He has also served as provost of California State University, Fullerton, vice president of Higher Education Policy and Practices at The Education Trust in Washington, D.C., and Chief Student Affairs Officer for the University of Puerto Rico system. A leading national advocate for policies to expand opportunities and improve educational outcomes for all students—especially those who have historically been underserved—Cruz Rivera is a frequent keynote speaker and writer on higher education issues and serves on several regional and national boards of organizations that work to advance equitable educational policies and practices. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and his master’s and doctorate degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Mark H. Erickson became the fourth president of Northampton Community College on July 1, 2012, driven by a strong belief that the most innovative, exciting and important work in higher education was, and is, taking place at the nation’s community colleges. Initially attracted by NCC’s commitment to access for all students, its student-centered focus and entrepreneurial spirit, his affinity to the communities Northampton serves and his long-standing admiration for the work of the college hasn’t wavered.  A native of Nebraska, Dr. Erickson holds a bachelor’s degree in American history from Princeton University, a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Lehigh University. He served in several important positions at Lehigh, including dean of students from 1990-1999, associate vice president and executive assistant to the president from 1999-2001, and vice president for administrative and government affairs from 2001-2005.  In 2005, he was named president of Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio. During his seven years there he was credited with facilitating the development of new academic programs, expanding international exchange opportunities, and fostering a close and mutually beneficial relationship with the regional community. Dr. Erickson holds numerous leadership roles in local, state and national organizations, including serving as a founding and steering committee member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

Joyce McConnell is the first woman president of Colorado State University and is proud to currently lead one of the most diverse administrative teams in higher education. She is also proud to embody her commitment to sustainability as co-chair of the advisory board of the Salazar Center for North American Conservation and to embody her commitment to our international, immigrant, DACA, and undocumented students as a member of the steering committee of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Over the last two years, President McConnell has overseen a successful return to in-person academics and operations at Colorado State University.  What she is most excited about going forward is the Courageous Strategic Transformation of CSU that our community has designed together. Unlike many institutional strategic plans, Courageous Strategic Transformation does not call out diversity as a single track in the plan.  Instead, as McConnell has said publicly, “Inclusive excellence is intentionally woven throughout, not standing alone, because we believe it should inform everything we do. This is a part of our fabric and fundamental to everyone’s work at CSU.

Dr. Elsa M. Núñez is in her 16th year as the president of Eastern Connecticut State University.  She came to the University in 2006 following more than 20 years as a senior administrator at such institutions as City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of Maine System. Dr. Núñez has been a tenured faculty member of English at Ramapo State College, the College of Staten Island (CUNY), and Lehman College (CUNY). She also holds a faculty position as Professor of English at Eastern.  Author of  “Pursuing Diversity” (1992) and “Hanging Out and Hanging On: From the Projects to the Campus” (2014), Dr. Núñez has published numerous articles on language acquisition, diversity and other education issues. Dr. Núñez has firmly established Eastern’s reputation as Connecticut’s only public liberal arts university. Under Dr. Núñez’s leadership, Eastern is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the top public New England regional university in the North three years in a row, as well as the #1 public regional university in New England for “Best Value”; is recognized by the Princeton Review as a “Best College” in the Northeast. Dr. Núñez received her B.A. from Montclair State College, her M.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and her doctorate from Rutgers University.

Maria has over 10 years of advocacy experience. She is currently a full time Secondary Spanish teacher through Teach for America at a Title 1 school. She is pursuing her M.A. in Urban Education at Loyola Marymount University. Through UCLA’s Dream Summer Program 2021 she became a part-time Student Fellow for the Presidents’ Alliance. She has interned at the Loyola Immigration Justice Clinic,  Office of Karen Bass, and First-Gen Professional Network. She holds a B.A in Chicana/o-Latina/o studies with a Minor in Sociology from LMU. She transferred from Santa Monica College where she served as the Improving Dreams, Equity, and Access (IDEAS) co-chair, AB540 Dream Liaison for the Financial Aid office, President Ambassador and Associated Students Board of Directors.

Saba is a dreamer, scientist, activist, entrepreneur, and lifelong student. Born in Pakistan, she moved to Fort Worth, TX, at age 11. Her immigration journey has been documented in an award-winning PBS documentary, Dream With Me. She’s passionate about movement building, finding tangible ways to help undocumented youth through organizations such as Immigrants Rising and Presidents’ Alliance, and the representation of women and students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM.  She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Mathematical Biology from Texas Tech University. She is a data scientist at Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, working at the intersection of infectious disease and computational biology.  She is proud to serve as a mentor to young STEMpreneurs at organizations like STEMcx and WETATi, as a community leader fighting for immigration reform at NAKASEC, and as a board member for The Center for Asian Pacific American Women.

Esder Chong founded and led RU Dreamers, a student organization that advocates for undocumented, DACA, and TPS students’ access to higher education. Through this organization, she led efforts to pass institutional and state immigrant inclusive programs and policies. Esder worked with the Rutgers administration to hire an immigrant rights attorney and a full time staff to serve undocumented students at Rutgers. In coalition with state-wide immigrant rights organizations, she advocated for the S699 State Financial Aid Bill which was passed and signed by Governor Murphy on March 9th, 2018 at Rutgers-Newark. She also joined the Let’s Drive NJ campaign to expand access drivers’ license for undocumented NJ residents. As a Schwarzman Scholar, Esder earned her Master of Management Science in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University and is continuing her graduate studies at Harvard University.

Marcos Estrada is a fourth-year student at Swarthmore College, majoring in Neuroscience and Spanish. He was born in Colombia and raised in South Florida. During his first year in college, he got involved as a leader for Swatties/Students for Immigrant Rights (SIR), a student-led organization focused on providing a safe space and advocating for the rights of undocumented and DACAmented students. After graduation, he intends to pursue a career in the legal sector, where he can continue to work as an advocate for immigrants and human rights. His interests focus on bringing awareness about the immigrant’s role in a community.

Saba is a dreamer, scientist, activist, entrepreneur, and lifelong student. Born in Pakistan, she moved to Fort Worth, TX, at age 11. Her immigration journey has been documented in an award-winning PBS documentary, Dream With Me. She’s passionate about movement building, finding tangible ways to help undocumented youth through organizations such as Immigrants Rising and Presidents’ Alliance, and the representation of women and students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM.  She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Mathematical Biology from Texas Tech University. She is a data scientist at Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, working at the intersection of infectious disease and computational biology.  She is proud to serve as a mentor to young STEMpreneurs at organizations like STEMcx and WETATi, as a community leader fighting for immigration reform at NAKASEC, and as a board member for The Center for Asian Pacific American Women.

Cezanne Hayden-Dyer is a Project Associate with the Presidents’ Alliance. She is a Student Strategy Table Member and she contributed to the development of the Higher Ed Immigration Portal. Cezanne is also a TheDream.US scholar. She has an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice and is completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources at Miami Dade College.

Marena is currently a PhD candidate at Washington State University studying molecular mechanisms of Coxiella burnetii infection using the fruit fly model. As a first generation college student, Marena graduated from St. Mary’s University at San Antonio, Texas in 2016 with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry. In addition, Marena is a DACA recipient and the current advisor for Crimson Group, an activist support group for undocumented students at Washington State University.

Sarah‘s higher educational journey links to her purpose-driven work on creating safe spaces and tailored support for underrepresented students navigating their career journey. She is a community college transfer who graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a B.A. in Sociology. During her time at UCLA, she has served as a Social Media and Content Coordinator at the Undocumented Student Program at UCLA. She has also received her Master’s degree in Higher Education, concentrating in Student Affairs, at Boston College. She has since served as an Undocumented Student Advisor at First Gen Empower, where she is involved in projects increasing access and highlighting the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education spaces.

Angelica Murillo is currently an undergraduate student at Texas Tech University studying Apparel Design and Manufacturing. Before continuing her education at Texas Tech, Angelica graduated from the New Mexico Junior college with two associate degrees in 2019. Angelica is a DACA recipient and a first-generation student. She is currently the President of Texas Tech’s Define America chapter and is a Dream Ambassador. Angelica enjoys working with support groups for undocumented students at Texas Tech to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for fellow students. After graduation, Angelica plans on furthering her education and focus her career in sustainable fashion.

Olivia Renteria is currently a senior at Texas Tech University studying geology. She is a first-generation college student. She serves as a Dream Ambassador at TTU Dream Resource Center and is part of the Presidents’ Alliance Student Strategy Table. She served as vice-president of TTU Define America student organization and is currently president of the Geoscience Leadership Organization for Women. After graduation, she hopes to work in the energy sector and continue advocating for undocumented/DACA students in higher education. She also plans to continue her work to support girls in STEM fields, especially minorities in the geosciences.

Nancy is the Director of Higher Education Initiatives at Immigrants Rising.  Nancy has directed her skills towards building educational pathways for undocumented students throughout California for more than a decade. Her current work centers around increasing institutional support & equitable access through research, trainings for faculty, staff, & administrators, and elevating promising practices at California colleges & universities. Nancy is currently coordinating an intersegmental workgroup to increase equitable implementation of in-state tuition (AB 540/SB 68).She has also developed a library of educational materials.

Cindy Agustín is an advocate and organizer for immigrant rights and education equity. She has 10+ years of experience working with immigrant communities, first-generation and low-income students, and fighting for education equity. As an organizer with the Immigrant Youth Justice League, an undocumented youth led organization in Chicago, she learned the importance of centering the voices of directly impacted folks, following their lead, and building collective power. As a student at the University of Chicago, she advocated for the rights of undocumented students and is excited to be back on campus as the Director of Student Support Services supporting first-generation, lower-income, and immigrant/undocumented students. Cindy earned her BA in Comparative Human Development and MA in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.

Maria is the UndocuEducator Group Co-facilitator at Immigrants Rising, and the Program Facilitator for the Undocumented Student Program at Cerritos College. Maria (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Latina, born in Mexico. For over 10 years, Maria has served as an advocate for the immigrant community, particularly undocumented students. Maria has over 5 years of experience working with undocumented students in higher education. She has also been an active participant in the current and ongoing immigrants’ rights movement. Her goals are to raise awareness about the different identities that intersect with the undocumented status as well as to archive the stories of undocumented folx. Maria is obsessed with Frida Kahlo, coffee, and plants/gardens.

Luz Bertadillo Rodriguez serves as the Project Manager for the State and Policy Campus Initiatives. Luz has over 8 years of experience working in the k-12 educational system, college access non-profit sector, and higher education. Luz’s expertise includes creating change with undocumented students in California and New York through Undocumented Student Programs, such as the Dream Center at Mt San Antonio College and the Immigrant Student Success Center at John Jay College. More recently, her professional and personal work has revolved around merging mental wellness and immigration through the founding of the UndocuChats Collective. Luz holds an AA and BA in Psychology from Mt. San Antonio College and UC Berkeley and a MSW from Columbia University. 

Cynthia Carvajal is a scholar and practitioner at the intersection of immigration and education. Originally from Zapopan, Mexico she immigrated to East Los Angeles, CA at the age of five where she navigated K-12 education as an undocumented immigrant. Her personal and professional goals are grounded in her experience as a formerly undocumented immigrant, student, and community member for twelve years of her life. She previously served as the inaugural director for two immigration focused spaces: John Jay’s Immigrant Student Success Center and the CUNY-Initiative on Immigration and Education. She currently serves as a board member for the New York State Youth Leadership Council. Her scholarly work explores educators’ roles while working alongside immigrant students to resist the dehumanizing effects of restrictive immigration policy in schools. Her work spans across California, New York, and Arizona, providing a comparative understanding on the impact of policy and practice in politically varying states. Cynthia Carvajal earned her bachelor’s degree at UCLA, her master’s degree at Teachers College, Columbia University and her doctorate at the University of Arizona.

Maria Gutierrez serves as the Dream Center Coordinator and Counselor at Chabot College, and is on the Intersegmental workgroup for Equitable Implementation of In-State Tuition in CA.  She was the first in her family to attend college. María holds an AA-T in Psychology from Chabot College she then transferred to San Jose State University where she earned a BA in Psychology. She attended San Francisco State University and completed an MS in Counseling with a Specialization in Higher Education. Currently, she is part of the Ed.D. Educational Leadership doctoral program at San Francisco State University. María believes in implementing equitable and transformational educational practices and pedagogies. 

Aldo Cruz Vasquez is the Undocumented Student Success Coordinator at El Camino College. Beginning his Undocumented and Queer Community advocacy work in 2009, Aldo has organized throughout California in campaigns for the California Dream Act, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and greater access to higher education for undocumented students. Aldo continues to promote equitable access for Undocumented students through the philosophy that student equity begins at home, promoting that undocumented students intersectional needs be viewed holistically.

Candy Marshall brings a lifelong commitment to equity in education and health care. She currently serves as president of TheDream.US – the nation’s largest college access and success program for undocumented students with over 7,500 Scholars and 70+ Partner Colleges. Candy helped found this organization based on her belief that all Americans, regardless of where they were born, should have the opportunity to get a college education and pursue a meaningful career.

She currently serves on the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) and the Seattle

Children’s Hospital and Research Center Board of Trustees – both institutions that are committed to educational and health equity.

Prior starting TheDream.US, Candy served as a leader at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation helping develop and scale the organization and its Global Health programs. Previously, Ms. Marshall was executive VP and general counsel at a Pacific Northwest technology firm. Ms. Marshall earned a law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law, with distinction, Order of the Coif, and a bachelor’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in criminal justice.

Ali Procopio is University Program Director for FWD.us, a bipartisan political organization focused on fixing the failed immigration and criminal justice systems that have locked too many out of the American dream for too long. Having developed her own passion for advocacy and immigration reform while in college, Ali is thrilled to be working with students, faculty, and staff to improve higher education opportunities for immigrant students and to fight for a more just immigration system. Her work centers around developing resources and advocacy opportunities for students and allies to engage at the federal, state, and campus levels. Ali graduated from Dartmouth College in 2013 with a degree in Italian.

Saba is a dreamer, scientist, activist, entrepreneur, and lifelong student. Born in Pakistan, she moved to Fort Worth, TX, at age 11. Her immigration journey has been documented in an award-winning PBS documentary, Dream With Me. She’s passionate about movement building, finding tangible ways to help undocumented youth through organizations such as Immigrants Rising and Presidents’ Alliance, and the representation of women and students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM.  She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Mathematical Biology from Texas Tech University. She is a data scientist at Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, working at the intersection of infectious disease and computational biology.  She is proud to serve as a mentor to young STEMpreneurs at organizations like STEMcx and WETATi, as a community leader fighting for immigration reform at NAKASEC, and as a board member for The Center for Asian Pacific American Women.

Jose is Director of Policy and Communications at the Presidents’ Alliance. He previously led the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s national immigration portfolios. Jose is barred in Washington, D.C. and Maryland; and is a former Roddenberry Fellow. Jose is also Principal and founder of Masa Group. He has a B.S. in Management from Arizona State University and a J.D. from Baylor Law School. In his free time, Jose enjoys gardening and poker.

Maria Gabriela (“Gaby”) Pacheco is an immigrant rights leader from Miami, Florida. As an immigrant with a mix-status family, she’s experienced first-hand the intricacies and difficulties immigrant families face in the US. In 2006, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided her home and attempted to silence her. Her parents and sister were put in deportation proceedings. She’s been central to the advocacy of immigration and immigrant rights, and in 2010, with three other undocumented students, they led the Trail of Dreams, a four-month walk from Miami to Washington, DC. She spearheaded the efforts that led to the announcement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Pacheco, at the age of eight, migrated to the United States with her family from Guayaquil, Ecuador. On April 22, 2013, Pacheco became the first undocumented Latina to testify in front of Congress, speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the urgent need for immigration reform. Pacheco has received numerous accolades; Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30: in Education, 40 Under 40: Latinos in American Politics, and 2015 she received a Doctoral Degree in Humanities Honoris Causa from The New School. Pacheco was profiled in Elle magazine alongside America Ferrera, Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick and others for a feature production on the world’s most accomplished 30-year-old women. She appeared on the June 2012 TIMES Magazine cover along with 30 other immigrant leaders. In 2018, she was the recipient of the prestigious Ohtli Award.

She is a nationally known speaker and has written many opinion pieces for several national newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, and US Today to name a few. She can be seen on national television giving her opinion on networks like Univision, Telemundo, MSNBC, CNN, and CNN es Español. She was part of a jazz album ensemble which won three Grammy awards in 2019.

Gaby holds an Associate of Arts degree in Music Education, an Associate of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, and a BA in Special Education K-12 from Miami Dade College.

Gaby is the Director of Advocacy, Development, and Communications for TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth.