Jocelin Robles

Jocelin Robles is a first-generation Latina from East Oakland majoring in Ethnic Studies and minoring in Education. As someone from a low-income immigrant family in the Bay, Jocelin has first-hand witnessed how local and federal governments inflict economic, social, and political injustices within her community. Her upbringing as someone who struggled due to intersectional identities has driven her to pursue opportunities that allow an in-depth understanding of education, immigration, and basic needs policies. More so, Jocelin believes in collaboratively infusing knowledge in spaces that nullify advocacy.

Currently, Jocelin serves as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) through the City of Oakland. VITA is a program that provides free tax filing services for low-to-moderate-income earning individuals and families to ensure they confidently understand each part of their returns. Jocelin is passionate about thoroughly informing her community about tax forms, ramifications of income inequality, and government policies. Apart from VITA, she also works as an intern for the Basic Needs Center, a Berkeley United in Literacy Development director, a mentor for NavCal, and a Volunteer Income Tax Assistant. Her experiences with these programs have fueled her to work with like-minded leaders in aiding her communities. She believes that everyone deserves equal resources, access to basic needs, educational equity, and collective rights. This summer, Jocelin looks forward to interning at the federal level with the goal of learning, unlearning, reproducing cultural capital, and generating tangible impact through the work she performs.