Monserrat Gonzalez Jimenez was born in el Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Before her second birthday, she, her mother, and older sister immigrated to the United States to reunite with her father. She grew up in Woodland, CA, a small agricultural town in northern California, with the warmth and generosity of her tight-knit community. Despite the adversities she faced as an undocumented individual, Monserrat’s community helped shape her into a resilient, empathetic person who values unity, collaboration, and open-mindedness.
Monserrat attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare and a minor in Education. During her time in school, she was a fellow at the Tiny Home Empowerment Village in Oakland, a transitional housing program for youth, where she provided mentorship and community-building support. Monserrat was also a fellow at Emerson Child Development Center in Oakland, where she helped ESL preschoolers engage in classroom activities. Through her lived, academic, and professional experiences, Monserrat has developed a passion for providing care through a holistic, trauma-informed, and culturally competent approach.
As a DreamSF Fellow, Monserrat is placed at the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), a non-profit whose work focuses on economic mobility for San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood. During her time, Monserrat will gain hands-on experience supporting MEDA’s initiatives.
In the future, Monserrat hopes to help marginalized communities access critical resources to reach their full potential. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her family and friends, dancing, being outdoors, and watching sports. Go Niners!
