Sandra Arias was born and raised in the Bay and began her educational journey at Chabot College in Hayward, CA, where it took her four years to transfer. As a first-generation, low-income student, she felt lost navigating higher education and was unaware of the support available to her. The daughter of immigrant parents whose formal education ended in elementary and middle school, Sandra was determined to overcome challenges and earn a degree for herself and her family.
She transferred to San Jose State University where she earned a B.A. in Sociology and later returned to complete a Master’s in Education Counseling & Student Personnel. Sandra began her professional career at UC Berkeley’s Educational Opportunity Program, where she spent five years supporting first-gen, low income and historically underrepresented freshmen and transfer students through holistic counseling and academic advising.
Sandra now serves as a part-time community college counselor and is passionate about empowering students to take pride in starting at a community college as well as building trusting relationships with students to help them achieve their academic and career goals. Outside of work, she enjoys walks, painting, and spending time with family.