Itzel Ramos was born in Sinaloa, Mexico, and raised in Redwood City, California. As a first-generation student and QuestBridge Scholar, she graduated from Claremont McKenna College (CMC) with a dual major in Chicanx-Latinx Studies and Government. Her academic and professional interests lie at the intersections of immigration, education, and policy, shaped by her experiences growing up in the Bay Area and navigating the public education system.
At CMC, Itzel was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, where she conducted community-rooted research centering the voices of undocumented students. She also worked with the Gould Center, focusing on archival projects that documented and uplifted immigrant histories. Beyond research, Itzel has long been active in organizing and advocacy. From helping distribute “emergency cards” with know-your-rights information during ICE raids in her community to working with campus leaders to secure stipend-based roles for undocumented students, she has consistently sought to reimagine what is possible.
Her work blends archival research, creative storytelling, and artivism through zines, photography, and writing in order to make knowledge accessible and impactful for marginalized communities. By embracing the motto “Where no path exists, create one,” Itzel aims to pursue a Ph.D. in Chicanx-Latinx Studies and become a professor, continuing to advance scholarship while transforming barriers into blueprints for others.
As a DreamSF Fellow placed at PODER SF, Itzel will support their mission to organize with Latinx immigrant families and youth, fostering people-powered solutions rooted in environmental justice, cultural regeneration, and community power. While there, she aims to play a critical role in amplifying immigrant rights and learning about community organizing through storytelling and digital communications.
When she’s not researching or organizing, you can find Itzel behind a camera, lost in a poetry book, or spoiling her one-year-old Chihuahua (who she insists is highly misunderstood). She believes in radical joy, resilient communities, and the power of collective imagination to shape a more just future.
