As a Black male educator and equity advocate, I stand at a unique intersection of identity and purpose, driven by the belief that all students deserve equal educational opportunities. This belief is rooted in a deep understanding of the systemic barriers that have historically marginalized students of color, and our responsibility to dismantle these [...]
Reflecting on the transformative power of education, I think about it through the lens of my family journey. I’ll start with the stories told by my maternal grandmother about the hardships of her childhood. She was born in a rural area in northern Mexico, and the only toys she had were stick and stone [...]
Our team has been actively engaging in a robust discussion sparked by a recent Stanford Social Innovation Review article. The article delves into the origins and impact of what the authors term “strategic philanthropy” to critique traditional models that assume philanthropists, by virtue of their wealth and power, are inherently capable of developing and [...]
At Trellis Foundation, we believe in making the promise of higher education a reality for all students. We also recognize the over-representation of Black and Hispanic students in the justice system, and supporting educational opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals is critical to our equity goals. Higher ed in prison is a space that many [...]
When I was learning to knit during the pandemic, it took me about two months to finish my first scarf. As part of an innovative strategy to improve enrollment and retention, students at several Texas community colleges completed courses in 2022 and 2023 in about the same amount of time it took me to [...]
Joining Trellis Foundation: A New Chapter in My Commitment to Education and Equity I am excited to share that I am joining Trellis Foundation as a Program Officer. This new role is a significant milestone in my career, and I am eager to bring my passion for post-secondary education and equity to an organization [...]
School comes first. It is a phrase we often hear from our parents and teachers from a young age, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing your focus on schoolwork. Even in graduate school, while pursuing my Ph.D., my advisor alludes to this concept in our sometimes-heated one-on-one meetings discussing my performance as a doctoral student. [...]
It is a pleasure to join the Trellis Foundation as Program Officer. As an immigrant and first-generation college graduate, increasing higher education attainment for under-resourced communities is a deeply personal mission. My parents, who unfortunately had to pause their higher education journey, instilled in me the importance of a college degree from a young [...]
It is an honor to join the high-functioning team of Trellis Foundation as Chief of Staff. As a fourth-generation Mexican-American from a family of hard-working migrant farm and ranch workers and a first-generation college graduate, I’ve personally been a beneficiary of education-based opportunities, and I’ve dedicated my career to supporting funders who are committed [...]
As a higher education program officer without a background in the criminal justice or justice reform spaces, I have faced a steep learning curve as the Trellis Foundation expands our work in prison education programs and re-entry education supports. I imagine you may share my need for guidance. Even if your foundation doesn’t focus [...]
