After graduating from Anaheim High School, Jessica earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration and two minors in Chicano/a Studies and Women’s Studies from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). As an undergraduate student, Jessica wanted to continue mentoring first-generation students like herself, and worked as an AVID tutor for the same schools she attended, Anaheim High School for four years and Sycamore Junior High School for two years. At CSUF, she got involved in programs like Hermanas Unidas (HaU) and the McNair Scholars program. HaU is a non-profit organization who helps Latinas grow both personally and professionally through academics, community service, and social networking. She continued to give back to first-generation students by serving as a Peer Advisor for HaU during her third year in college, helping first year students navigate the transition to college. The McNair Scholar program prepares underrepresented, first-generation students for graduate school through research and scholarly activities. Through the McNair program, Jessica got involved in a summer research program at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where she focused on the development of ethnic studies courses across schools in the United States.

Utilizing the experience she gained at CSUF, Jessica continued her education and earned a Master of Public Policy with a focus in education policy at UC Irvine. During her master program, Jessica worked as a Teaching Assistant in UCI’s Undergraduate/Undeclared Advising Office for two years. As a Teaching Assistant, she collaborated on coursework designed to assist incoming first years to academically, socially, and emotionally acclimate to the university. She also worked as a Policy and Legislative Affairs intern for the Office of Supervisor Doug Chaffee at the Orange County Board of Supervisors, where she gained experience in public service.