Emily Chamale

Emily Chamale Hernandez (she/her)

Born in Guatemala and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Emily Chamale is a first-generation student at UC Berkeley double-majoring in Political Science and Ethnic Studies. Her upbringing in South LA, shaped by systemic underinvestment in immigrant and working-class communities, grounds her commitment to equity and public service. An Ethnic Studies class in high school deepened her political consciousness and sparked her passion for organizing. She further developed her advocacy through four years in the ACLU’s Youth Liberty Squad, contributing to the successful campaign to end random searches in LAUSD.

At UC Berkeley, Emily serves as Vice President of IDEAS, the university’s only undocumented student-led club. She also works at the Multicultural Community Center as a Assistant Program Coordinator, supporting community-building programs each year and helping board new interns in outreach and collaborative event planning.

Emily’s policy experience includes serving as Policy and Legislation Co-Director in the ASUC Office of Senator Terán, where she leads in drafting student legislation and advancing research-based projects across campus. She also interned with the California Department of Education in the Legal, Audits, and Charters Branch, conducting legislative research, supporting equity-related case reviews, and contributing to compliance frameworks for statewide education policy.

Previously, she interned with the Latino Task Force in San Francisco, supporting Latinx immigrant families in accessing COVID-19 resources, and served as Political Education Director for Central Americans for Empowerment (CAFE), where she organized events and expanded mentorship for first-year Central American students at Cal.

Emily is driven by a deep desire to return to her community and serve South Central Los Angeles through legislative and grassroots work. Whether as a policymaker or an organizer, she hopes to uplift voices like her own and champion solutions that address immediate community needs while laying the foundation for long-term collective prosperity.