Evelyn Cisneros Barajas was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States with her sister and mother at the age of 4. She grew up in the Bay Area, where her hardworking parents dedicated themselves to providing opportunities for Evelyn and her siblings to pursue a higher education. Like many Latinx children, Evelyn was raised with the saying “Échale ganas,” a phrase that shaped the way she confronts adversity and strives to become someone her parents can be proud of. Evelyn is currently doing her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology at San Jose State University.
While studying at San Jose State University, Evelyn joined the UndocuScholars Network for Inclusive and Transformational Education (UNITE) as the Marketing and Social Media Coordinator. Through this experience, she became more passionate about outreach for undocumented communities. Evelyn is dedicated to letting other undocumented and mixed status individuals know about their rights by designing social media posts that break down complex information such as the California Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) which allows undocumented students to pay lower in-state tuition rates.
Evelyn is determined to ensure that undocumented individuals understand their rights and the resources available to them and is committed to building a career that supports undocumented and mixed-status communities through outreach, education, and resource accessibility. She is dedicated to taking on leadership roles to help design programs and initiatives that directly address the barriers immigrants face, especially with mental health. Her long-term goal is to create and contribute to spaces where undocumented people feel seen, welcomed, and supported.
For the DreamSF Fellowship, Evelyn is placed at Chinese for Affirmative Action, where she will be supporting their mission to advocate for systemic change that protects immigrants rights and remedies racial and social injustices. At CAA, Evelyn aims to play a critical role amplifying immigrant rights and learn more about policies affecting immigrant lives.
When Evelyn is not studying, you can find her watching anime, reading manga, working out, trying new foods, and spoiling her 2 cats, Peter and Tobby with treats! Evelyn also loves volunteering at non-profit organizations in order to give back to her community.
