Yadira Guzman

CHCI Housing Postgraduate Fellow Presented by Airbnb
Hometown: Waterloo, Iowa
School: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Degree: Master of Human Rights
Placement: The Office of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto

Yadira (she/her/ella) was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and is the second youngest of five children in the family. Her parents taught her the value of hard work, humility, and dedication. At an early age, she recognized the vast disparities and inequalities that impact the Latinx/e and other marginalized communities, which drove her to pursue an education in human rights and instilled in her the importance of advocating for these underserved groups. 

Yadira earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Northern Iowa and later, a Master of Human Rights degree with a concentration in crime, law, and justice from the University of Minnesota. As an undergraduate student, Yadira explored housing policies by co-publishing research on redlining policies that have impacted her community and conducting research on eviction rates through an internship with Iowa Legal Aid. She also served as a student leader advocating to improve the campus climate for students of color at her primarily white university. As a graduate student, she collaborated with a grassroots organization that serves Minnesota’s Latinx/e community on a labor rights capstone project. Additionally, Yadira worked as a graduate assistant for the Human Rights Program and the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice, where she did archival work and research on race and human rights. 

Through her education and experience, Yadira has developed a strong interest in law, social justice, and human rights. As a CHCI Fellow, she aspires to learn how to create effective policies that center historically marginalized communities, and to hone her skills as a professional in the field of policy and advocacy.