Janet Mendoza-Partida

Janet Mendoza-Partida is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley studying legal studies and Chicanx/Latinx studies. She was born and raised in Watsonville, California by Mexican migrant agricultural workers. While in high school she volunteered at multiple elementary and middle schools around her community, leading her to understand the educational disparities predominantly impacting students of color, and prompting her to develop a passion for educational equity. During the summer she continues to serve as a mentor, translator, and educator in schools throughout her community and in the East Bay to prepare and educate students about their post-secondary options to increase the number of college enrollments for underrepresented students. As the first in her family to graduate high school and attend college, Janet strives to support other first-generation students as an office manager at the Chicanx Latinx Student Development Office (CLSD), by fostering community and working to close the educational/knowledge gaps. Janet aims to serve minoritized students within California’s educational system by working within governmental frameworks to facilitate policy work that will improve the educational experience of California’s youth in K-12 public schools.