Students, faculty and staff celebrate their Hispanic/Latinx heritage with a mural at Fiesta en la Calle at Cal State Fullerton.
¡Si Se Puede!: Latinx Americans of the CSU Who Knew They Could
Students, faculty and staff celebrate their Hispanic/Latinx heritage with a mural at Fiesta en la Calle at Cal State Fullerton.
"Latino students comprise almost half of the CSU’s student body, and they are among our brightest and most engaged. Members of the Latino community are also some of our most gifted faculty, dedicated staff, visionary leaders and involved and generous alumni. It is really the university that owes a debt of gratitude for their contributions."
—Dr. Joseph I. Castro, Chancellor, California State University; first Mexican American and first California native appointed to lead the nation’s largest public university
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Alumna, Cal State LA
First Mexican American Congresswoman, first Latina appointed to the House Appropriations Committee and an original co-author of The Dream Act
Vivian Hernandez
Student, Chico State
Trustees Scholar studying the history of women in 20th century Mexico, where they’ve been excluded from the written narrative
Dr. Abigail Rosas
Faculty, Cal State Long Beach
Author of “South Central Is Home: Race and the Power of Community Investment in Los Angeles”
Dr. Rodolfo Acuña
Faculty Emeritus, CSUN
“Godfather” of the Chicana/o studies field and founding chair of CSUN’s Chicana/o Studies Department
Lilly Pinedo Gangai
Staff, San José State
Inaugural Program Director of SJSU’s Chicanx/Latinx Student Success Center, which supports Latinx students through culturally relevant programming and support services
Dr. Enrique Salmón
Faculty, Cal State East Bay
Author of award-winning “Iwígara,” an anthology of plants native to the Americas and their significance to the tribes that use them
Maria Alvarez
Alumna, Cal Poly Pomona
General manager of Artificial Intelligence Platform in the Cloud + Artificial Intelligence Division at Microsoft
Dr. Victor Torres
Faculty, Fresno State
Director of the Los Danzantes de Aztlán Mexican dance program and Chicano/Latino Commencement Celebration coordinator
Ariana Stein
Alumna, CSU Dominguez Hills
Co-founder of Lil' Libros, a children's book publisher that celebrates diversity, Latin American culture and bilingualism
"There are so many amazing people out there whose stories just haven’t been told because their stories are barely becoming important in our society, and we want to showcase those."
—Juan Pérez, Student, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; host and creator of the “The First Few” podcast, which highlights the stories of young people of color
"There are so many amazing people out there whose stories just haven’t been told because their stories are barely becoming important in our society, and we want to showcase those."
—Juan Pérez, Student, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Host and creator of the “The First Few” podcast, which highlights the stories of young people of color
James Aguilar
Student, San Francisco State
First San Francisco State Foundation Board student representative and one of the youngest San Leandro Unified School District board trustees
Louie Vega
Alumnus, CSU Bakersfield
Kern County Superior Court judge who ensures everyone is equal under the law
Elli Alaniz
Staff, Chico State
Founder of Chico State’s Dream Center for undocumented students and advisor for the student organization Leaders Educating for the Advancement of Dreamers
Alberto Guzman
Alumnus, CSU Monterey Bay
Senior software engineer at NASA Ames Research Center, where he received awards for his work on the NASA Earth Exchange (NEX)
Rosalia Armas
Alumna, Cal Poly Pomona
A 2021 sociology graduate who overcame the challenges of a pandemic and motherhood to be the first in her family to complete college
Dr. Lilia Sarmiento
Faculty Emerita, CSU Dominguez Hills
Creator of the CSUDH Dual-Language Institute, which increases the number of bilingual educators in Southern California
Andres Romero-Ochoa
Alumnus, Cal Maritime
Office manager at Trident Seafoods, who gives back by connecting current students with internships at his company
Dolores Huerta
President’s Medal Recipient, CSU Bakersfield and Honorary Degree Recipient, CSUN
Civil rights activist and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association (United Farm Workers)
Dr. Enrique Murillo Jr.
Faculty, Cal State San Bernardino
Founder and director of Latino Education and Advocacy Days and director of CSUSB’s Ed.D. program
"As both an economist and a Latina president, my lens on social inequity is, by necessity, broad. But for Latina leaders everywhere, so too is our navigational capital. This provides a more expansive understanding of the importance of the collective and the richness of community. We lead together. That is the leadership model that will define our future."
—Dr. Adela de la Torre, President, San Diego State; first woman and first Latina to serve as the permanently appointed president of San Diego State
Clarissa LaGuardia
Alumna, Sacramento State
CEO of Laguardia Translations, a translation service company serving the legal, health care, education and government industry sectors
Christian Trujillo
Alumnus, Humboldt State
Co-founder of Ciencia Para Todos (Science for All), which brings Spanish-language science education to elementary, middle and high schools
Daisy Gomez-Fuentes
Student, Cal State Fullerton
McNair and Sally Casanova Scholar who helped translate work from civil rights and Chicano movement activists for the Latinx Community Resource Center
Dr. Sylvia A. Alva
Executive Vice Chancellor, CSU Office of the Chancellor and Alumna, Cal State LA
First-generation college graduate now serving as the CSU’s executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
Dr. Daniel Malpica
Faculty, Sonoma State
Director of the McNair Scholars Program, Chicano and Latino Studies professor and immigration scholar
Dr. Maria Elena Zavala
Faculty, CSUN
First Latina in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. in botany and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
Alfredo Aguilar
Alumnus, CSU San Marcos
Poet and author of “On This Side of the Desert” recently accepted into one of the U.S.’s most prestigious creative writing programs, Michener Center for Writers
Guadalupe Marquez
Student, Stanislaus State
President’s Central Valley First-Generation Scholarship recipient who hopes to help other first-generation students in her future career
Dr. Selenne Bañuelos
Faculty, CSU Channel Islands
Mathematics professor working to increase access to STEM fields for underrepresented communities and Institute for Pure and Applied Math associate director