who we are
About Us
Futuros is a non-profit organization committed to providing college-preparatory services and information to low-income and immigrant students and their families. As larger numbers of low-income and immigrant youth move through California high schools, colleges, and universities, providing services to address their unique and diverse needs becomes increasingly important. Futuros aims to provide these students with information, support, and guidance that will ensure that they are competitive college applicants, prepared college students, and successful college graduates. In an effort to achieve these goals, Futuros provides one-on-one college mentoring and advising for students, college and scholarship application assistance, and fundraising support and informational workshops for students and parents. Futuros also provides professional development workshops for counselors, teachers, college admissions and outreach staff to provide them with up-to-date information about how to best serve and address the needs of low-income and immigrant youth.
Staff
Paz M. Oliverez, Ph.D.
Executive Director/ Founder
Mobile: 310.923.0803
Email: poliverez@futuros-california.org
About Dr. Paz Maya Oliverez
Dr. Paz Maya Olivérez holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. In addition to working with Futuros, Dr. Oliverez is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Education at the University of Southern California and Assessment Consultant to the Division of Student Services at Long Beach City College.
She has also worked as a Program Analyst for the Educational Policy Unit of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education where she was involved in research related to educational equity and closing the achievement gap for urban Latino and African American students. Prior to working with the LAUSD, Dr. Olivérez spent six years as a Research Assistant at the University of Southern California investigating issues of college access, persistence, and financial aid for low-income first-generation college-goers.
Her dissertation titled “Ready But Restricted: An Examination of the Challenges of College Access and Financial Aid for Undocumented Students in the U.S.” examines the challenges encountered by college-ready undocumented high school seniors as they endeavor to make the transition from high school to college. Along with a statewide coalition of undocumented students and advocates, she was instrumental in developing The College and Financial Aid Guide for AB540 Undocumented Immigrant Students, which has been disseminated to thousands of undocumented students and advocates throughout California.
Board
About José Luis Solache
Jose Luis Solache was elected to the Lynwood Board of Education in Nov. 2003, making history as the youngest Latino board member in the history of Lynwood. Solache serves as the current member for the board representing over 16,000 students, over 850 teachers, and many service employees. Having been a product of the Lynwood K-12 system, Solache has first hand experience on what the needs are to provide a quality education to prepare our children for college. He graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills with a B.A. in Liberal Studies with an option in Spanish. Solache has been a leader in public service since an early age. While completing his degree at CSU Dominguez Hills, he served two-terms as student body president followed by winning a statewide election to chair the largest student run organization, the California State Student Association (CSSA). As chairman of CSSA he served and protected access and affordability to a quality public higher education for underserved communities in California. Solache’s commitment to improving our community is demonstrated through his extensive work and involvement in issues of educational access. He is currently the Development and Public Relations Coordinator for the Oldtimers Foundation. Solache’s passion and genuine concern are the characteristics that shape who he is - a public servant who aims to improve the lives of those in his community.
About Dr. Imelda Quintanar
Dr. Imelda Quintanar is an academic counselor for the Educational Opportunity Program at California State University Dominguez Hills. In her role of academic counselor, she is responsible for the implementation of retention programs to ensure that students persist toward graduation at the university. She also has previous professional experience in student affairs and advising, recruitment, and in designing and implementing parent orientation programs (i.e., Spanish Parent Orientation Programs). In addition, Dr. Quintanar is the advisor for Espíritu de Nuestro Futuro. Espiritu de Nuestro Futuro, made up of students from CSU Dominguez Hills, is one of California’s strongest AB540 student organizations. In her role of advisor, Dr. Quintanar serves as an advocate and liaison to institutional gatekeepers by ensuring that AB540 students have access to necessary resources at the university. She also provides academic advisement to AB540 students on general education and major courses to ensure progression toward degree completion.
About Mayra Soriano
Mayra Soriano is a school counselor at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School providing academic, personal/social, and career guidance to students in grades 9th-12th. Prior to working at Bravo, Soriano worked with the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF) for six years as its Education & Youth Programs Manager and later Development Director. As a strong advocate of college access for all students, she is dedicated to providing information, guidance, and resources students need to access and succeed in college. Soriano frequently conducts presentations for students and parents on college access, particularly on the challenges of undocumented students. Her passion for working with undocumented students led her to develop along with a statewide coalition of undocumented students and advocates, The College and Financial Aid Guide for AB540 Undocumented Immigrant Students which has been disseminated to thousands of undocumented students and advocates throughout California. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and will be obtaining her Masters of Science in Counseling and Pupil Personnel Service Credential at California State University, Northridge in May of 2008.
About Victor Garcia, M.P.A.
Victor Garcia is Director of Outreach Projects with the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. In this capacity, he is coordinator of the SummerTIME writing program, a program preparing urban, low-income high school juniors and seniors for the rigors of writing at the university level. Garcia also coordinates the Increasing Access via Mentoring (I AM) program aimed at helping college-ready high school seniors to make informed decisions during the college and financial aid application processes. For over a decade Garcia has provided and coordinated student services focusing on the needs of underrepresented students primarily im/migrant, undocumented, and first-generation students. Garcia is currently pursuing an Education Doctorate (Ed.D.) at the University of Southern California and received a Masters of Public Administration at California State University, Long Beach in 2007 where he advised students in the Enrollment Services department. Prior to relocating to Southern California, Garcia did outreach and recruitment for prospective transfer students for the University of California system in the greater Monterey and San Francisco Bay via the Transfer Partnerships Program based at the University of California, Santa Cruz where he received a Bachelors of Arts in History in 2000.
About Susana Gonzalez
Susana Gonzalez has been working with college student leaders in the California State University for over 10 years. She began her career at Associated Students at Cal State San Marcos and is currently the Executive Director for the California State Student Association (CSSA), the largest statewide student advocacy group in the country. Under her leadership, the CSSA board of directors has celebrated a number of victories and accomplishments, including the passing of a legislative bill reforming financial aid for older students pursuing a public higher education. Currently, she lives in Long Beach and is the writer for “Latina in the City” published in the Long Beach Post (www.lbpost.com). Most recently she joined the: (1) the California Latino/a Legislative Caucus Leadership Institute, Madrinas/Padrinos Committee, was nominated and appointed to the Board of Directors for the Clifford Beers Housing, Inc. and appointed by the Long Beach City Council to serve on Long Beach’s Sustainability Commission. Susana is the daughter of immigrant parents and is the first in her family to complete an education beyond high school. Susana obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration at Cal State San Marcos and is currently completing a Masters in Public Administration at California State University, Long Beach. She was born and raised in the border region of Tijuana-San Diego and is the oldest daughter of two.
About Nancy Guarneros
Nancy Guarneros is a junior at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is currently majoring in Sociology with a minor in Education. Prior to attending UCLA, Nancy attended Santa Monica College, where she was an Honors student. She also volunteered with a number of community organizations. Since transferring to UCLA Nancy joined the school’s Honors program and continues to excel academically. She has also been an active member of one of the original undocumented/AB540 student support groups in California, UCLA IDEAS (Improving Dreams Equality Access & Success) and is the editor for UCLA’s undergraduate research journal. Nancy’s professional
goal is to be a professional researcher focusing on the obstacles that undocumented/AB540 students face and how they have managed to overcome them. Nancy is exploring this interest by serving as an intern with UCLA IDEA (Institute of Democracy Equality and Access). IDEA's mission is to make high quality public schooling and successful college participation routine occurrences in low income neighborhoods of color through research and advocacy. After graduating from UCLA, Nancy aims to continue her studies by obtaining a Ph.D. in Education.
