Pedro Adrian De Anda Plascencia

CHCI Public Policy Fellow Presented by New York Life 
Hometown: South Gate, California
School: University of California, Berkeley
Degrees: B.A. in Political Science and B.A. in English 
Placement: The Office of Senator Alex Padilla

Pedro (he/him) was born in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, México, and immigrated to the United States at the age of three, where he was raised alongside his two sisters in South Gate, California. At the age of ten, Pedro was made aware of his undocumented status when he traveled to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua with the hopes of obtaining his U.S. residency. Fortunately, the result of this journey was citizenship through naturalization, but in learning that not everyone who makes this journey achieves this outcome, Pedro became politically involved. Pedro identifies as a proud first-generation, queer, low-income, and formerly undocumented Latino who is interested in educational equity, immigration reform, LGBTQ+ rights, and increased healthcare accessibility.    

Following in the steps of his older sister, who serves as a role model and mentor to him, Pedro went on to attend the University of California, Berkeley where he obtained two Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English. Throughout his undergraduate career, he advocated for the needs of low-income, first-generation, students of color on and off campus. Most notably, Pedro served as the Latinx-community endorsed Student Body Senator within the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC), where he was one of only twenty elected members who successfully advocated for academic accommodations for over 30,000 students in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Coupled with his passion for advocacy, Pedro also sharpened his qualitative and quantitative skills while working with the California Research Bureau, at UC Berkeley’s Student Learning Center, and with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. In these roles, he engaged with various stakeholders, conducted research, provided ongoing tutoring to his peers, and learned more about the issues plaguing the greater Latinx community. 

Since graduating, Pedro has worked as a Program Coordinator with the bridges Multicultural Resource Center, an organization that strives to demystify higher education for students from underserved backgrounds. Most recently, he served as a Senate Fellow through the Capital Fellows Program in the office of California State Senator Scott D. Wiener (D-San Francisco). As a Fellow, he staffed the Judiciary Committee where he analyzed hundreds of technical bills and worked on issues related to Education, Veteran Affairs, LGBTQ+ Rights, and Banking & Finance. During his time in Sacramento, Pedro was elected by his colleagues as the Fellows Representative & Internship Coordinator with the California Latino Capitol Association Foundation, where he successfully organized and facilitated a six-week public service internship for 14 community college students. 

As the CHCI Fellow, Pedro is excited to delve deeper into the federal legislative process and leverage the community organizing, resiliency, advocacy, and passion that he gained in California. He is excited to continue fighting for the immigrant community and pushing for equitable education efforts.