Leadership

Yadira Hernández Pérez (she/they/ella)
pronunciation (yuh-dee-ruh)

B.A. Sociology, 2015, UCLA

J.D. Candidate, CUNY School of Law

Yadira is an Indigenous immigrant from Puebla, Mexico. Her pedagogy centers on critical race theory and social cultural wealth. Since she moved to the U.S. at the age of 15, she has seamlessly and unapologetically advocated for immigrant rights in her professional positions and as a community organizer. She has managed and organized anti-deportation campaigns supporting families impacted by incarceration and deportation. At UCLA, she was involved with IDEAS at UCLA and MEChA De UCLA’ outreach, access, and retention projects to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. She aspires to become a social justice lawyer, transforming the legal scholarship that has and continues to oppress people of color, and create tools for our collective liberation and healing.  

Yadira is the founder of Undocumented Alumni Association (UAA) of UCLA. She has also served in the UCLA Alumni Diversity Advisory Committee and UCLA Alumni Board Nominations Committee. Most recently, she was awarded the 2021 Social Justice and Equity Award  as Change Agent for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education. 

Anayeli Rivas (she/her/Ana)

UCLA c/o 2015

Transfer Pride

External Director | Member of the UCLA Alumni Diversity Advisory Committee

DACAmented xicana. Oldest of five siblings. Mixed Status Family. 

What I love about UAA is that gives me an outlet to organize, create/share resources, and show up for and with my undocumented community.

Keisha Chin Goosby (She/Her/Hers)

B.A. Sociology, 1996

Keisha attended UCLA from 1992-1996 and was fortunate to gain legal permanent residency right before starting college. This allowed her to access forms of financial aid that made it possible for her to attend a 4-year university since DACA and student support groups for undocumented students didn’t exist. She was well-supported by the Academic Advancement Program and found community within the African Student Union. Being involved with UAA provides a way for her to contribute to the ongoing advancement of the immigrant community.

Mayra A. Varillas Cilia (She/Her)

B.S. Mathematics and Statistics, 2020

Originally from the Mixteca Poblana, an indigenous area in Mexico, Mayra immigrated to the United States as a child. She became the first Mixtecan to graduate from UCLA with a double major in Mathematics and Statistics. Mayra's goal is to bridge the gap for underrepresented people to succeed in STEM careers through strong community ties and mentorship. She is also an incoming analyst at Disney.

Kevin Escudero (he/him/his)

B.A. Chicana and Chicano Studies, 2009

M.A. Latin American Studies, 2009

The son of a Vietnamese/Cambodian refugee mother and Bolivian immigrant father, Kevin is originally from Southern California. At UCLA he participated in the Academic Advancement Program’s Freshman Summer Program (FSP), was a member of the Alliance for Dreams Network, and was a mentor for the Community Programs Office/MEChA de UCLA’s Xinachtli Program. As the Fund Development Committee Chair Kevin will work with fellow UCLA UAA members to build an endowment to support the education of future generations of undocumented students at the university.

Miriam I. Somera (She/Her)

B.A. English and Chicano/a/x Studies, 2018

Miriam attended UCLA from 2016 to 2018. At UCLA she was a mentor in the UCLA Transfer Program, participated in the UCLA Calling Campaign, volunteered for CAIR LA and was part of the Academic Advancement Program. As a current tutor she continues to pursue higher education to not only teach but to learn from the undocumented youth. Miriam is an advocate to teach students about higher education and believes their success is imperative for the future of our community. Miriam supports her community by teaching cultural inclusiveness, constructive rhetoric and creates dialogue enabling thoughtful discussions surrounding mutual respect towards others.  Miriam hopes to continue serving her community through UAA to not only promote inclusiveness, but to also support the DACAmented community and the undocumented community at large. 

Yazmin Mendez (She/Her/Hers)

Though Yazmin grew up to call Anaheim, CA home, her heart is still partially in her family’s homeland in Durango, Mexico.

Yazmin was the youngest of six in her family to attain the ability to transfer and graduate with a bachelors degree from UCLA in 2016 and later received a masters degree from Chapman University in 2021.

In her time at UCLA, Yazmin was a peer mentor for UCLA’s Center for Community College Partnership where she mentored historically underserved students and found her passion for helping her immigrant community mobilize and find access points in higher education.

Since graduating UCLA, Yazmin has been working for over six years in higher education in various college access counselor roles at non-profits, community colleges, and universities. Yazmin aspires to continue mentoring and mobilizing historically underserved students to find their voice, their own form of leadership, and be inspired to be social change agents in their communities.

In her free time, Yazmin enjoys reading and listening to true-crime podcasts, as well as cooking her mom’s favorite dishes, and being the “cool aunt” to her younger nephews.