Born and raised in San Diego, Deandra brings to BLCI a passion to serve students that stems from an innate love of learning and community. She graduated from UCLA with two degrees in Chicanx Studies and Public Affairs. While at UCLA, Deandra was the Co-Executive Director of Amigos de UCLA, a tutoring and mentoring organization for middle schoolers in Mid-City Los Angeles. She was also an active member of Grupo Folklorico de UCLA, where she was able to express herself while honoring her culture. As a TriO alumni herself, Deandra recognizes the impact of programs like Upward Bound and BLCI and hopes to pay it forward in any way she can. She plans to eventually go back to school to earn her PhD in Chicanx Studies to bring Chicanx/Ethnic studies into K-12 education. Deandra hopes to plant seeds of a hunger for knowledge and the confidence to be curious in her students here at BLCI.

Where you’re going is where you’ve earned the right to be – Anonymous