As a first-generation college graduate, Alma R. Orozco is committed to creating educational equity in her personal and professional capacities.
Navigating K-12 education in underresourced Bay Area public schools and commuting to a resource-filled university, Alma witnessed firsthand educational disparities. Seeing the discrepancies in access to educational resources, Alma made it her priority to engage in direct service work with P-16 students, including teaching, tutoring, and mentoring.
Given that community empowerment is a method of fostering educational equity, Alma engaged in Community-based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) during her undergraduate career, where she supported San Jose madres (as they preferred to be called) in conducting their own research projects that addressed pressing community challenges. Upon graduating, she served as a College Advisor with UC Berkeley’s Destination College Advising Corps (DCAC) at a Bay Area high school. Seeing her students face reoccurring college access issues, Alma decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Higher Education with a concentration in Diversity and Social Justice.
Prior to working with the Campaign, Alma was a Graduate Intern with the Center for Educational Outreach (CEO), developing college-readiness curriculum to increase the college-going rates among underserved Michigan seniors, and trained University student organizations to conduct mutually beneficial, K-12 outreach projects. She is excited to work with the Campaign to advocate for educational equity on a policy level, ultimately creating positive systemic change.