Briseida Gonzales was born in El Salvador where she spent half of her childhood, and the other half she lived in Peru. Her mom raised her while her dad was in San Francisco, CA providing for her family. At age 11, she migrated to San Francisco, a place she now also calls her home. She is currently a student at San Francisco State University, where she is getting her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology.

Mental health has always been very important for Briseida, and it has inspired her to pursue a career in psychology. Before transferring to San Francisco State, Briseida attended City College of San Francisco where she got her associate’s degree. She has volunteered for organizations like WOMAN Inc., where she was responsible for client case accuracy. She has also managed the organization’s hotline that offered support for survivors of domestic violence, so they could feel safe while telling their stories. 

One of Briseida’s goals is to be able to work with her immigrant community and be able to support them with the skills she has learned throughout her own journey. She hopes to be able to open up a space that supports the mental health needs of low-income families that don’t have access to resources. Another goal of hers is to do projects that involve her artistic side, for example paintings that tell stories, and that would not only help her express herself, but will also inspire other people like undocumented students that have had similar hardships and it will help them follow their dreams. 

As a DreamSF Fellow, Briseida was placed with Immigrant Rising, where she will help undocumented youth navigate immigration law. She hopes to learn more and support her community by applying what she knows about mental health. 

In her free time, Briseida likes painting, exercising, talking to her friends, traveling, cuddling with her dog Cobi, and spending quality time with her family.