Veronica Banuelos 

CHCI Public Policy Fellow  

Presented by Amazon 

Hometown: San Bernardino, California 

School: Pomona College 

Degree: B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, & Economics 

Veronica Banuelos (she/her) was born and raised in Southern California. She is the proud daughter of two immigrant parents from Jalisco and Zacatecas, the youngest of three siblings, and a first-generation college student. Growing up, her family instilled in her the importance of education as an opportunity for growth and knowledge as a tool that cannot be taken away.   

Veronica graduated from Pomona College with a B.A in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, concentrating in Economics. Despite starting her first year online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she became actively involved with the Pomona College Draper Center for Community Partnerships, serving as a Program Coordinator for two programs: one working with eight local high schools and the other supporting Pomona College workers. Additionally, she worked as a College Advisor and Teaching Assistant for the Pomona College Academy for Youth Success program. Seeking experiences beyond her local community, Veronica worked as a Legal Intern for a criminal defense law firm, a Sales/Marketing Intern for a tech startup during a semester in Silicon Valley, and a Branding Strategist and Business Analyst for Beats by Dr. Dre.  

After working in these roles in technology and law, Veronica found herself gravitating towards her passion for access and equity to higher education. In her final year of undergrad, she wrote her 144-page thesis researching whether standardized tests democratize higher education. Concurrently, she served as a student advocate for the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, meeting with leaders in Sacramento to advocate for increased Cal Grant funding. Because of these experiences and her interest in making higher education more accessible to underserved and underrepresented communities, Veronica is interested in education-based policy work.   

As a CHCI Public Policy Fellow, she hopes to learn more about the policy-making process and use that legislative knowledge to bridge the gap between community lived experiences and policy. After the fellowship, Veronica looks to attend law school with an interest in intellectual property law.