Luis De Paz Fernandez

Luis was born in Mexico City and arrived at the young age of 11 years old to South San Francisco, California. He is the proud son of Mexican immigrants, and grew up looking after his two younger sisters while working and pursuing his goal of being the first in his family to earn a college degree. Luis was able to accomplish this goal in 2015. He received his B.A. in Latina/Latino Studies and a minor in International Relations from San Francisco State University.

After graduation Luis was selected to participate in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C. During his time in D.C. Luis was placed and worked in the office of Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ 07). 

After his CHCI fellowship, Luis returned to San Francisco State where he has held multiple roles in outreach, admissions,  the Dream Resource Center working with undocumented students and the Office of the President. Most recently Luis serves as the Presidential Assistant for Strategic Initiatives & Executive Assistant to the President. One of Luis’ priorities in this role is to  oversee the university’s efforts to identify, assess and transform the institution into intentionally serving Latinx students. 

Additionally, Luis earned his Master’s in Public Administration from SF State in 2020 and served the City of South San Francisco in various committees and capacities such as the Beautification Committee, Citizen’s Oversight Committees, Housing Authority and the Planning Commission.