Diversity & Community Fellows

Alejandro is a Bay Area native and UC Irvine alumnus in Public Health Sciences. His early involvement in pulmonary toxicology research provided the foundation for his growth as a scientist and ultimately led him to Berkeley. Alongside his scientific pursuits, he is passionate about supporting underrepresented groups in higher education, particularly low-income and undocumented students.

Inspired by her ancestors, elders, and colleagues, her research explores the changing social, political, and racial dynamics of Black immigrants’ identities, their spatialites, and orientations. More broadly, her research interests include the African Diaspora and Africa, Colonialism, community and neighborhood organizations, Culture (music, visual art, film), Political Economy, and Transnationalism. Alexandra’s work has been featured in publications from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Decolonize Design, and Zocalo Public Square. She is a regular contributor to the Lebawi Sonar, a local journal for Lebawi International Academy located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Alexis is a community-based artist and scholar who’s research centers on the lived-experiences of Chicanx/Latinx students and Chicanx/Latinx Cultural Centers at Hispanic Serving Research Institutions (HSRI). His research stems from his experiences serving as a student leader in the office of Chicano Student Programs at UCR. As a proud alumna of the first HSRI in the UC system, Alexis has cemented his commitment to Chicanx/Latinx student success, empowerment and higher education transformation.

Alishba graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Ethnic Studies and a minor in Education. During her undergraduate studies, Alishba participated in several programs, including the Mellon Mays Fellowship, the Leadership Alliance Fellowship at Brown and Berkeley Hope Scholars.. Her research and advocacy center on education equity, with a particular focus on increasing access and support for students impacted by the child welfare system. She is passionate about creating inclusive environments where all students can thrive. Outside of her academic work, Alishba likes exploring hiking trails around the bay area.

Andre is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in electrical engineering, focusing on digital integrated circuit design and computer architecture. He received his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and minor in computer engineering from The Pennsylvania State University as a member of the Millennium Scholars Program. He specializes in ASIC/VLSI design & methodology along with physical design and EDA tool development. Andre is also involved in Berkeley’s Black Graduate Engineering Science Students (BGESS), serving as the organization’s vice president.

Anthony Garcia is a chemistry graduate student in the Baranger Lab at UC Berkeley. He specializes in STEM Education research and is conducting work into improving and evaluating student learning in undergraduate research experiences. In addition, Anthony serves as a mentor to students in various groups and programs on campus.

I am originally from the Bay Area, California, and feel very fortunate to be from such a diverse and rich community. I am a first generation college student and Latina, so I understand how difficult it is to not only break through in academic spaces, but to succeed in them. For this reason, I spend a lot of time trying to find ways to uplift these communities, and I am so excited for my placement with TRIO SSS as a former transfer student myself! Outside of my program and related endeavors, I really enjoy creating things and crafting – in particular I like to knit, paint, and will soon be taking a ceramics class I am excited about!

Christian Sotomayor is second year Master of Public Policy candidate at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He previously earned his B.A. from UC Berkeley with a double major in Political Science and Legal Studies and a minor in Public Policy. As a first-generation, low-income, Mexican-American and a former foster youth, Christian is deeply committed to advancing equity in child welfare, education, immigration, and criminal justice.

Deibi is a Ph.D. student in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management program with a Designated Emphasis in Development Engineering. His dissertation research examines the socio-environmental health impacts of emerging digital technologies such as cryptocurrency mining and AI infrastructure, with a focus on environmental justice and community well-being in El Salvador and comparative field sites. He also established a lab dedicated to Engineered Living Materials (ELM), where he leads projects to explore ways to transform invasive eucalyptus into sustainable mycelium-based building materials designed to advance climate resilience and ecological restoration.

Originally from El Salvador and raised in the U.S., Deibi is a first-generation college graduate whose background informs his deep commitment to mentoring and supporting underrepresented students in STEM. At Berkeley, he has mentored through GiGS, From Day One, Latinx & the Environment, STEM FYI, and URAP. He has held leadership positions with the ESPM Graduate Diversity Council, the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) committee, and the American Indian Graduate Student Association. Through these roles, he has built mentorship pipelines, expanded programming, and spearheaded proposals that strengthen resources for historically marginalized graduate students.

As a Diversity and Community Fellow, he is dedicated to fostering inclusive academic communities and helping students across disciplines navigate graduate school while cultivating opportunities for leadership and professional growth.

Derek is an architectural designer and Arcus Social Justice Corps Fellow. His interests in the built environment center on community-centered, collaborative design, particularly with systemically marginalized populations.

I am originally from Kingston, Jamaica, and completed my undergraduate studies at Howard University. At Berkeley, I conduct research in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on computer architecture and hardware/software co-design for energy-efficient high-performance computing. Beyond research, I am deeply committed to mentorship and community building, supporting students in finding opportunities to grow while fostering a sense of belonging both academically and socially.

Gabriela is a third-year PhD student in the Geosystem program at UC Berkeley’s Civil Engineering Department with a designated emphasis in Global Metropolitan Studies, working under the guidance of Professor Adda Athanasopoulos-Zekkos.
Her research explores infrastructure resilience and social vulnerability, focusing on regional Flood risk analysis and simplified seismic vulnerability assessment of levees in the Sacramento Delta

Hi I’m Grace, and I grew up in the suburbs of Long Island, New York! My PhD research focuses on building a computer vision-guided bioprinter to precisely pattern cells in 3D microenvironments for tissue engineering. Outside of the lab, I enjoy working with organizations such as BEAST and STEM*FYI, cooking/playing board games with friends, and hiking in the Bay Area’s great outdoors.

Hi everyone! I am new to the Bay area and am so excited to be apart of the Berkeley community! In my free time you can find me at the marina trying out water sports or finding new hiking spots. I am honored to be a D&C fellow and I hope to connect with you all!

Ja’Nya is a PhD Candidate, dissertating on public school survival and education advocacy. Her other research includes school finance, special education and dis/ability studies, Black schooling, and organisational change. She is a former teacher, and outside of research, teaches in K-12 teacher training programs.

Jasmine Hughley received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University.
At Berkeley, Jasmine conducts research in Dr. Van P. Carey’s Energy and Multiphase Laboratory, where she applies statistical thermodynamics and computational modeling to study thermal behavior in heat pump technologies. Her work aims to improve performance and safety while advancing sustainable energy solutions.

I am a first-generation student from Vietnam. I completed my BA and MA in political science. My research explores the roles and influences of South Vietnamese women during the Vietnam War. I am happy to speak about life as a graduate student, professional development, and fellowships!

I am passionate about building a more inclusive scientific community and exploring how biology shapes health differently across people. Outside of research, I enjoy connecting with peers, mentoring, and finding ways to make science more supportive and accessible for everyone.

Jose research examines how institutional discourse, data systems, and algorithmic tools shape postsecondary access and educational equity. They apply computational methods—such as natural language processing, machine learning, and social network analysis—alongside policy analysis to study racialized dynamics in education. Their work is grounded in prior experience as a public high school teacher and education policy advocate.

Julia graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2022 with a BA in Sociology & Psychology. She currently works at Kaiser Permanente with the COOP Study which looks to understand whether FIT is a suitable alternative to older individuals who are at a higher risk of complications from colonoscopies. She is interested in researching accessible mental health interventions for marginalized communities, de-stigmatizing mental health in media, and promoting (mental) health advocacy. In her free time, Julia enjoys playing video and tabletop games, crochetting, collecting trinkets and stationary, and exploring the Bay Area for new food spots!

Centering Latin-American origin immigrant families, my research interests lie at the intersections of immigration, culture, emotion, race & ethnicity, inequality, and health. I’m interested in the most intimate aspects of immigrant family life and how members navigate society’s, their family’s, and their own ambivalence, taking into account their race and ethnicity, class, age and generation, and family structure.

I’m the son and grandson of Mexican and Colombian immigrants who immigrated to New York City in the mid-to-late 1980s from Puebla, Mexico, and Bogotá, Colombia. Raised in Corona, Queens, New York, I got my degrees at Queensborough Community College and Cornell University and everything else from Queens.

Kemryn is the Founder and Executive Director of ProjectHBCU, a nonprofit dedicated to mentorship, college access, and leadership development for High School students wanting to attend HBCU’s. Her professional experience includes organizational leadership, grant writing, and change management, with a strong commitment to advancing educational equity and community empowerment. Kemryn aspires to be the University President of multiple HBCU’s, and start an HBCU Hub in West Africa.

Krystal Anderson has experience working as a special education teacher, early childhood teacher and lecturer. She has experience working with high risk families and young children who have been influenced by addiction, poverty and homelessness. Additionally, Krystal has worked at San Francisco Unified School District as an Special Education Teacher supporting inclusion and partnerships with families and educators. She aspires to support the equity and inclusion of children with disabilities within the educational system. Throughout her doctoral program she is deepening her understanding of inclusive education practices within African countries to support children with disabilities on a global scale.

Nathaly Santos is a doctoral student in Education Policy, Politics, and Leadership at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research centers on Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and the ways in which colleges and universities adopt and embody an HSI identity at the organizational level. To this end, she is also interested in examining the implications of becoming a racialized organization on processes of organizational change.

Prior to her arrival at UC Berkeley, Nathaly earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology & Philosophy, followed by a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology all from the University of Virginia. She is the daughter of two immigrant parents and the first in her family to attend a four-year university and graduate school.

Nicole Goridkov is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. Her main research interests include human-centered design thinking and design for sustainability. She graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. In her free time, she enjoys baking (currently making bagels and croissants), playing tennis, and growing plants.

Rachel M. Wallace is currently a PhD student in Jurisprudence and Social Policy at UC Berkeley School of Law. She has a disciplinary focus in Law and Economics and a designated emphasis in Political Economy. Rachel will also be pursuing her JD from Stanford Law School starting in Fall 2026 and received a Master of Public Policy degree from UC Berkeley in 2020.

Rhosean is a linguist whose research focuses on phonetics, specifically its intersections with sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics. She cares deeply about making graduate school (and the world!) accessible to people from underrepresented backgrounds, having experienced firsthand how academia excludes those who are Black and low-income. Outside of school, she does art (screen printing, bookmaking, zines!) and (tries to) read.

Sahim is excited to join the Office for Graduate Diversity (OGD) as a Diversity and Community Fellow. In this role, he looks forward to building meaningful connections, mentoring undergraduates, and empowering the next generation of scientific leaders and changemakers. When he’s not working, you can usually find him with a good book, tuned into a podcast, or tending to his growing collection of plants.

Sariyah Benoit is a second year landscape architecture student with a keen interest in black spatial politics and embodied memory. As an artist and designer, she responds to climate conditions and changes using living machines that honor black & indigenous narratives and construction traditions. Her art, designs, and community workshops engage local communities to consider their role in global human-ecological interactions so that they leave feeling empowered to contribute social innovation towards positive climate change concerning flooding, subsidence, and stormwater management.

Valentina Flores is a graduate student at Berkeley Law’s Jurisprudence and Social Policy (JSP) Ph.D. Program. They hold a joint Political Science and Human Rights Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree from Bard College. Currently, they are developing a project interested in the intersections of urban inequality, race, geography and property.

Weiying Li (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the School of Education with a designated emphasis in New Media. As a multilingual and international scholar, she is deeply committed to building equitable and caring academic spaces. As a Diversity & Community Fellow, she’s excited to keep co-creating spaces of care, inclusion, and solidarity for all graduate students.