Mia Alexa Verdin

Mia Alexa Verdin (she/they)

Mia Verdin is a second year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying Urban Studies and Ethnic Studies. She was born and raised in the city of Santa Ana, CA to immigrant parents from the Mexican states of Zacatecas and Querétaro. As the first in her family to attend university, she is a proud first-generation student. She is passionate about advocating for social justice, as well as promoting civic engagement and education within her community; especially among other young people. She discovered this passion through her work serving as the Chairperson for the Santa Ana Youth Commission in high school. In this capacity, she acted as the bridge between young people who needed to voice their concerns and local elected officials, ensuring that her peers’ voices were heard and accounted for in the bureaucratic government process. Currently, she works with youth in West Oakland, providing meaningful mentorship, guidance and peer-to-peer support to students, encouraging them to reach their full potential. She aspires to be a catalyst for positive and transformative change in local policy, as well as promote the connection between community members and the electoral process. She is inspired by the resilience of her fellow community members and her parents’ encouragement to “¡écharle ganas!” to keep her motivated.