Hi, my name is Camille! My family and I migrated from the Philippines to Moreno Valley, California, a small city in Southern California, when I was six years old. Coming from a very rural area in the Philippines, I could not have been more grateful for the opportunities that arose when I moved to California. 

My parents only had one goal for my sister and I, and that was finishing college and fulfilling our goals. I received my bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in African American Studies at California State University, San Bernardino and I am now pursuing my Master of Education at Texas State University. 

The year in between my bachelor’s and my master’s, I served at a non-profit organization in Riverside, California where I learned recruitment, planning, data analysis, and volunteer engagement that helped the overall system of the organization. This period of time sparked an interest in policy making and school choice advocacy which later led to my decision to pursue my master’s in education. 

Since moving to Texas, I have dived more into research and learning about policies inside and outside of the classrooms. I have helped lead creative sessions with undergraduate students at Texas State to discuss different topics like democracy, social media effects of COVID-19, restorative practices, and race in the classroom. 

My goal is to keep educating myself while engaging in policy making decisions to better serve the children who want to pursue higher education. I hope to one day be part of a change that will empower our educators and our students to keep elevating our education institutions.