Marisa Buenrostro

Marisa comes from a Mexican-American background- grounded in the intersections of gratitude, pride, and community. She is motivated by those around her to pursue her passion of working for the betterment of public service by giving back to the people that gave so much to her including the immigrant and refugee communities. This is reflected in her work with the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services where she was able to provide basic needs support to refugees such as delivering healthy groceries and furnishing their housing accommodations.

Before transferring to UC Berkeley, she worked at the RASA Center at Sacramento City College and the Puente Project to bolster the transfer rate for first-generation Latinx college students in the greater Sacramento area. Here, she was able to foster community and lead the First Year Experience program. Her commitment to excellence and academic achievement led her to receiving the Regents and Chancellor’s Scholarship upon transferring to UC Berkeley..

As a member of the underrepresented Mexican-American community, Marisa has faced many challenges. Passionate about equity led to her seeking the position of Co-Deputy Executive in the department of Equity Inclusion and Belonging within the offices of the President and Executive Vice President of the Associated Students of the University of California. Marisa was able to allocate 70,000 dollars through the Multicultural Initiative Fund to registered student organizations who would coordinate events to uplift multiculturalism. She also serves as an intern with Raices Recruitment and Retention Center in the Political Awareness and Community Development Department to femtor high school students who were at risk of not pursuing higher education.

In Democracy Camp, Marisa aspires to bridge the gap between underrepresented communities within public service by providing a unique perspective via her lived and shared experiences.