Sandra Flores Ortega, born in Puebla, Mexico migrated to the United States with her family at the age of 4 years old in search for a better life in Tustin, California. Growing up, Sandra witnessed ways in which stress obstructs immigrants’ well-being, including her own, as a result of discrimination, xenophobia, racism, family separation, and more significantly, fear of deportation. After witnessing the systemic injustices that her, her family, and the general immigrant community has faced, she works to alleviate the stress her community experiences and empower immigrants in the United States. To do this, she has become an auxiliary to her community by serving as a support system, working as an advocate for others, and introducing community members to resources.

Sandra is a senior at the University of California, Berkeley pursuing a degree in Environmental Economics & Policy. At UC Berkeley, Sandra has served as a mentor and program coordinator for Dreamers Project Mentorship Program and 100 Strong, both programs serve underrepresented and under-resourced students. Now, Sandra is an active member and leader for Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education (R.I.S.E) where she serves as the finance coordinator to support and advocate for her undocumented community on campus. This transformational experience has motivated her to further explore opportunities to grow both as a leader and a learner.

To continue advocating for her community, Sandra is joined the 2019 DreamSF Fellowship and is placed at the Labor Center for Immigrant Justice, We Rise SF. Sandra works with immigration attorneys, immigrant communities, and is an educator of Knowing Your Rights. She believes that the most valuable knowledge she can gain is from members of the community.

During her free time, Sandra enjoys spending time in nature, hiking, sight-seeing, salsa dancing or relaxing by the beach. Every morning, she starts her day with a cold foam cascara cold brew while listening to music or podcasts.