Since the inception of the Alumni Fund, we have given out over $141,350 in scholarships used for educational and living purposes! Every year we give at least 5 scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000.
In 2022 LBSA Fund gave out $26,000 to 21 amazing LBSA students.
Tier 1 2022 Soledad Voss Scholarship – $3,000 In honor of one of our LBSA Alumni.
Joan Coello – An undocumented first-generation Latina
from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She is a second year student majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Global Studies.
She joined LBSA her freshman year as an External & Internal Affairs Intern. In Fall 2020, she became the Director of Public Relations. She is now LBSA’s Executive Administrator and looks forward to enhancing the LBSAers’ experience as we transition back to in-person classes!
She hopes to continue to represent the Latinx and Undocumented community at Cal and in HAAS spaces. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and trying cultural cuisines.
Herman Cortez – Herman is a proud first-generation student born and raised in Southern California.
During his time at Berkeley, LBSA welcomed him into a supportive community of students and mentors who have helped him grow both personally and professionally. He first joined LBSA in the Fall of 2020 and interned for the Professional Development Committee. He then became the Director of Operations during the second semester of his freshman year. These leadership experiences gave him valuable networking, public speaking, and problem-solving skills which have helped him during his summer internship with Deloitte. Currently, his career interests include consulting, finance, and project management.
He currently serves as LBSA’s VP of Alumni Relations and is excited to help alumni connect with students.
2022 Gold Scholarship Recipients – $2,000
Andy Delira – Andy was born and raised in the East Bay of the SF Bay Area. He is a first-generation college student with ambitions to one day take a company he founded to IPO. An entrepreneur at heart, and is hoping to use his early professional experiences to launch his career in finance.
Kate Charco – My name is Kate Charco, I am a first-generation Latina college student majoring in Business Administration and Data Science. I’m a SoCal native and grew up in Santa Ana, California graduating with the Class of 2024. LBSA was the first organization I joined coming into Cal and it has given me leadership and career opportunities such as an upcoming summer internship with Deloitte. My main focus through LBSA is to build a support system for Latinx students to help represent them within Haas and the business community. Though she has a variety of interests, my goal is to use my business acumen to help advocate for the support of small businesses owned by people of color.
Bryan Gallardo – My name is Bryan Gallardo and I am currently a sophomore intending to study business administration at the Haas School of Business. I grew up in Bakersfield, CA until the age of 10 and moved to Lakewood, CA, where I lived until I moved to Berkeley this year. I am the first one in my family to be born in the United States after they immigrated from Mexico and the second one to attend university after my mom who earned her degree in 2010. I am a very passionate soccer fan and have been playing since I was 5 years old! Outside of school also, I am very passionate about serving my community. I believe that being at Cal we have a significant platform of experience that we can and should use to help bring up the community that helped get us here. Whether it is mentoring high school students, handing out food and toys during the holidays, or helping Hispanic women learn fundamental business skills, I always try to find a way to make a difference in someone else’s life. Thank you all for the opportunity to receive a scholarship, GO LBSA!
Jessenia Gutierrez – Proud first-generation student, Hija de padres Mexicanos. She is a rising Senior majoring in Media Studies with an emphasis in Marketing and minoring in Gender and Women’s Studies. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, watching sunsets at the beach, and spending time with friends and family. As a freshman at Cal, she sought to find a supportive community where she would feel comfortable and be able to truly be herself.
At LBSA, not only did she find her home away from home, but met individuals who continue to inspire her to reach her personal, academic, and professional goals. She has been actively involved in LBSA since her first semester at Cal and is honored to have had the opportunity to serve as LBSA’s 2021-2022 president. As a result of the opportunities and strong network that LBSA offers, this summer Jessenia will be interning at LinkedIn. Her goal is to one day be the CEO of her own company that strives to make a positive impact on the world. She also hopes to establish a mentorship program for POC and first-generation students, empowering them to reach their full potential.
2022 Silver Scholarship Recipients – $1,000
Cesar Soria Magdaleno – Cesar is a first-generation Latino student at the University of California Berkeley with an intended double major in Business Administration and Political Economy. He joined the Latinx Business Student Association during my first year at Cal. In the past year, he has arisen from a Marketing and Executive Intern to a Director of Marketing. He currently holds the Vice President of Alumni Relations position for the 2022-23 upcoming year. In addition to LBSA, he is a brand ambassador with Victoria’s Secret and PINK. Cesar enjoys marketing in all forms and has gained experience from both organizations. In the summer of 2022, he will be working as a Deloitte Discovery Intern in the San Francisco Office.
Norma Garcia – Norma is a rising junior at UC Berkeley pursuing a B.A in Business Administration at Berkeley Haas to further expand her perspective on tech, venture capital, and marketing. Norma’s passion for technology stemmed from her interest in learning more about the intersection it has with diversity and access for other first-generation college students. She currently explores these interests on campus through research and is involved in DEI efforts across multiple organizations. In addition to being a Summer Venture Intern with Wonder Ventures, Norma is spending her summer supporting Sensible Weather with marketing and research strategy. In her free time, Norma enjoys hiking, spending quality time with friends, and trying new food places!
Pedro Rodriguez – Pedro is an incoming fourth-year studying Sociology and Chicano Studies. Originally from Delano, a low-income community composed of farm workers. He is the proud son of two immigrant farm workers, and as a first-generation student, he strives to be capable of helping others.
Kiara Wong – Kiara major is Business Administration with a Minor in Environmental Economics and Policy as well as a Certificate of Entrepreneurship and Technology. She is a senior at UC Berkeley. Her hometown is Los Angeles and has served on LBSA committees for 3 years.
2021 Bronze Scholarship Recipients – $750
Giselle Garcia –Giselle Garcia is a 4th-year Business major from Los Angeles, California. She has been the LBSA director of operations for the last year and has hopes of pursuing the consulting field after college.
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Sofia Greenwald – Sofia is a rising third year from San Diego majoring in Legal Studies and minoring in Gender and Women’s Studies and Political Economy. She was a member of LBSA’s professional development committee last semester and is currently VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Berkeley’s chapter of The Women’s Network, as well as DEI chair for Kappa Alpha Pi, a professional pre-law fraternity. Increasing access to professional resources and creating a more equitable campus and world are some of her biggest passions, ones she has expanded upon as a member of LBSA, a leader in diversity and equity, and throughout her usage of her native Spanish skills to assist in translating and interpreting for an immigration attorney. She hopes to one day attend law school to become a corporate attorney.
Kassandra Sanchez Vallejo – Kassandra Sánchez-Vallejo is an incoming second-year student intending to pursue a degree in data science or business. She is from Santa Ana, CA, and is the eldest of three. She enjoys sports, spending time with friends and family, and drinking tea and coffee.
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Kayla Herrera – Kayla Herrera is a senior majoring in Media Studies. She joined LBSA her second semester at Cal in 2020 and immediately immersed herself in all that LBSA has to offer as an intern for the Public Relations committee and an intern for the Community Affairs committee. Kayla’s passion for building the familia pillar encouraged her to continue interning for LBSA’s PR committee for a year and a half and jointly interning for the Marketing committee for a year. Kayla served as LBSA’s Director of Public Relations this past year (2021-2022) after gaining experience in the role of an intern. Her motto is “enhancing our familia” and she did just that by hosting member retreats, picnics, member/alumni tailgates, and Olympics night, among other social events to bring our familia together! She successfully planned and executed the first in-person LBSA Banquet 2 years after the COVID-19 pandemic. With a record-breaking attendance of 186 members/alumni/sponsors/guests, Kayla and the PR team put on the event on an extravagant yacht and managed all details of the event planning. Through her role and involvement in LBSA, Kayla has gained leadership skills after leading a team of 12 interns and gained mentors and lifelong friendships. Professionally, LBSA opened up many opportunities for Kayla to network with professionals, earning final interview rounds for top companies such as WarnerMedia, Sony Music, Paramount, Mckinsey, and Salesforce, among many others. Ultimately, Kayla decided to intern at EY in SF the summer of 2021 and interned at FTI consulting in NYC this summer where she gained experience in her dream career in Public Relations/Strategic Communications. Kayla would like to thank LBSA’s leadership board and Alumni network for the unconditional support, mentorship, and resources.
Amy Mayorga – Amy Mayorga is a first-generation Latina student here at Berkeley majoring in business administration and minoring in public policy. She joined LBSA as a freshman during the pandemic and took advantage of a lot of the resources that LBSA offers both academically and professionally. It was through LBSA’s support that she was able to secure summer internship offers at the Big 4 and get into the HAAS School of Business. Apart from academic and professional support, LBSA has helped her find her community and a sense of belonging on campus.
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Jessica Flores-Estrada – Jessica Flores-Estrada ’22 (she/ella), Legal Studies major, and an aspiring lawyer. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and is a daughter of Mexican immigrant parents. I’m currently a Pantry Intern for UC Berkeley’s Basic Needs Center and a Student Assistant at the Berkeley Law Pro Bono Program.
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Ashley Santiago – A Zapoteca first-generation college student who was raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, and migrated to the United States in 2016 — leaving her family and town in search of an opportunity for an education. She is now a rising third-year studying Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley.
During her first semester at Cal, Ashley joined LBSA and became involved as an intern for the Executive Administration and Professional Development committee. This past fall, she proudly served as the Director of Information Technology for the organization. Through the resources and support that LBSA has provided, she obtained a spot as a Pioneer Intern for Deloitte during the Summer of 2020 and will return as a Discovery Intern for this upcoming Summer 2021.
Ashley’s fascination for the production of artisanal distilled beverages — which she grew up learning from her family in Oaxaca — and her immense love for her culture and community has leaned her toward a career in entrepreneurship. She hopes to one day share with the world the beauty of the Oaxacan and Zapotec culture, and most importantly to bring it closer to those like her that find themselves away from home >> Previous scholars
To read more about these amazing students and their thank you letters to our donors.
LBSA Alumni Fund 