Chelsea Hernandez Martinez 

CHCI Education Postgraduate Fellow 

Presented by Walton Family Foundation 

Hometown: Topeka, Kansas 

School: Arizona State University 

Degree: Master in Secondary Education 

Placement: Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Chelsea Hernandez-Martinez (she/her/ella) is a Mexican American educator and advocate from Topeka, Kansas. As a first-generation college graduate, she has witnessed firsthand how education can transform lives and expand opportunities. Chelsea’s passion for education equity was shaped by her own experiences overcoming barriers and by her time teaching in Title I schools, where she observed persistent disparities in resources, funding, and support. These disparities often affected multilingual learners and students from historically marginalized communities, deepening her resolve to pursue systemic change. Inspired by her mother’s dedication to education and resilience in the face of challenges, Chelsea is committed to advancing policies that ensure all students have access to high-quality, culturally responsive learning environments where they can thrive academically and personally. 

Chelsea earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Arizona State University. She completed her term as a Teach For America corps member, teaching middle school mathematics in a Title I school in Phoenix, where she was dedicated to fostering an inclusive classroom environment that nurtured student growth, critical thinking, and resilience in mathematics. Beyond her classroom responsibilities, Chelsea served as an Adelante Fellow with All In Education Arizona, collaborating with community leaders and policymakers to elevate the voices of families and educators in statewide education policy and leadership initiatives. Throughout her work, she has championed initiatives that support multilingual learners, promote equitable resource distribution, and empower families who are often excluded from the policy-making process, demonstrating her commitment to educational justice at multiple levels. 

As the CHCI Education Postgraduate Fellow, Chelsea seeks to deepen her expertise in policy analysis, legislative advocacy, and coalition-building to advance systemic change within education. She is particularly interested in advancing equity-focused policies that expand access to culturally affirming curriculum, robust supports for multilingual learners, and sufficient resources for Title I schools. Chelsea’s long-term goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Leadership, where she can continue to bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice to foster transformative change. She views the CHCI Fellowship as a pivotal opportunity to develop the skills, networks, and experiences necessary to become a leader who shapes inclusive and effective policies that reflect the voices and needs of the communities they serve.