Meet Our Scholars

Isaias Guzman was born and raised in a predominantly low‐income Latino community in Southeast Los Angeles, California to Mexican immigrant parents. His family struggles financially and has limited resources to help guide him towards higher education. Learning early in life that education is key to success, Isaias took charge of his own education and is the first in his family to attend college. Isaias struggled with his sexuality and came out in his sophomore year of high school. His LGBTQ activism subsequently flourished, and he became president of his school’s Gay‐Straight Alliance Club and joined the national Gay‐Straight Alliance Network. As president of the GSA Club, Isaias created various LGBTQ awareness events and worked with his school administration to create a harassment and discrimination complaint form. Thanks to his involvement in GSA Network, Isaias’ activism proliferated. He became a Youth Council Member, Youth Trainer, Statewide Advocacy Council member and a board member, respectively. Isaias has helped empower hundreds of youth as they work to fight homophobia in their schools, and he has lobbied for legislation in Sacramento that would create safer schools for students. He also attended the first‐ever UN Consultation on anti‐LGBT bullying in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Isaias hopes to continue to fight for social justice as a Political Science major at UC Berkeley by learning how government can eliminate social inequalities and how he can assist marginalized communities through a career in public service.