Johanna Arias

Johanna Arias was raised in the Inland Empire in the cities of Temecula and Murrieta, California. Johanna’s parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico at a young age and sought opportunities with their families. She is one of six members of her immediate family.

Johanna became passionate about public policy during her years in high school and throughout her time in college. The experiences she had in community college sparked her interest in getting involved in higher education advocacy and how to defeat the stigma around attending a community college. Johanna herself, was a first-generation college student, and took classes with people who she also believed deserved more support and decided on pursuing her degree of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside.

After successfully utilizing the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee, Johanna was introduced to the rich community of policy makers, policy influencers, and policy implementers throughout the Inland Empire and the State of California. In her time at UC Riverside, she had communicated with the Governor’s Office, several California Assemblymembers, the California State Controller, and the United States Office of Government Ethics. Johanna also served as a co-host for her college’s weekly policy discussion podcast where episodes would cover current world issues and introduce potential policy solutions.

Johanna loves discovering new music and enjoys music from bands like Tool, Deftones, and Greta Van Fleet.

• University of California, Riverside, B.A. in Public Policy ’22
• University of Southern California, M.Ed. in Educational Counseling ’25

Alma Mater(s): Palomar College, Mt. San Jacinto College, University of California, Riverside

Your role in one sentence: I strive to achieve the Campaign’s mission to influence higher education policies to improve student success in the State of California by strategically leading and managing events that engage key policy influencers and implementers.

When I am not at work helping students get to and succeed in college I am… listening to music, going to concerts, spending time with my family, and going out for an iced coffee or Thai tea!

If not higher education then what cause? Promoting immigration reform that stops the separation of families, supporting immigrant integration programs, and reducing the cost of American Naturalization.