JESSICA ARELLANO-CRUZ ('22)

Major: Sociology & Chicano Latino Studies
Lives in: Bay Area, CA
Works as: Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission at Stanford
Favorite Stanford memory: Seeing my family from the stage during graduation! One of my top core memories.
Tip for FLI students & alumni: Always ask for help and believe that you belong wherever you go even if it doens't feel like it.

SONYA CHAUDRY ('13)

Major: Psychology
Lives in: Brooklyn, NY
Works as: social worker
Favorite Stanford memory: taking social dance classes every quarter!
Tip for FLI students & alumni: don't be afraid to ask for help! professors, other students, staff, etc. always have resources to share <3

ARNOLD COLUNGA ('93)

Major: Psychology
Lives in: Houston, Texas
Works as: City of Houston Assistant City Attorney
Favorite Stanford memory: My draw group
Tip for FLI students & alumni: Find your people, and take your time.

GINA DURANTE (‘92)

Major: Biological Sciences
Lives in: Los Angeles area
Works as: Consultant / freelancer
Favorite Stanford memory: Playing tenor saxophone in LSJUMB; studying in Toyon Hall and listening to live performances there as a Frosh
Tip for FLI students & alumni: My advice for FLI students & alumni is to tap into FLAN and other FLI communities and resources that are available to you. Being part of the FLI community has helped me realize that my experiences as a low-income student are common among FLI students and are not the result of some personal defect. It's also helped me to identify and leverage strengths of the FLI identity, while addressing some of the challenges (such as a reluctance to ask for help). Even if you’re not sure about how participation in the FLI community can help you, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by what you will gain as part of a community that offers both tremendous diversity—across geographies, cultures, class years, and more—and a sense of kinship forged through shared experiences.

ALEX FUENTES ('21)

ZENOBIA AUSTN GODSCHALK (‘98)

SIOBHAN GREATOREX-VOITH (‘08)

Major: Symbolic Systems + Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity
Lives in: Cambridge, MA
Works as: Social Scientist
Favorite Stanford memory: A highlight for me was being hired to build Stanford’s first dedicated programming for FLI students, work rooted in my research that helped lay the early groundwork for what, more than a decade later, became the FLI Student Success Center. It was one of the first times I saw how scholarship could begin to nudge an institution toward meaningful change.
Tip for FLI students & alumni: Community is one of the most powerful resources you’ll have at Stanford and beyond.

MIA JACKSON ('89)

Major: English w/ Interdisciplinary Focus
Lives in: Washington, DC
Works as: Brand Strategist / Writer
Favorite Stanford memory: How can you choose one?! BROC - the weekend, the orientation week - all of the fun that comes with welcoming new students to The Farm. Next would be watching my daughter get her own Stanford degree.
Tip for FLI students & alumni: Stay open. There's an opportunity to learn, share or grow with each connection.

FAYE JOHNSTON (‘14)

Major: Computer Science
Lives in: California
Works as: Tech Lead, Senior Engineer at Google
Favorite Stanford memory: Studying abroad in Madrid! Stanford BOSP made studying abroad very accessible for me.
Tip for FLI students & alumni: While the FLI journey presents unique challenges, it also fosters an unparalleled ability to navigate adversity. Don't underestimate the strength you’ve built overcoming obstacles—you belong at every table you sit at not in spite of your background, but because of the perspective it gave you.

OMAR MEDINA (‘13 / ‘14)

Major: Political Science, Minor Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity
Lives in: California
Works as: Senior Manager, Google.org
Favorite Stanford memory: Being a part of FLIP, and participating in Stanford in Washington (Spring 2012).
Tip for FLI students & alumni: Know that your FLI identify is an incredible strength, and don't be afraid to ask for help and advocate for yourself.

ALEJANDRA MEZA (‘02)

SELAINE RODRIGUEZ ('23 / '24)

Major: Political Science, Minor Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity
Lives in: Mountain View, California
Works as: Software Engineer
Favorite Stanford memory: Performing Valentine's Day serenatas across campus with Mariachi Cardenal! 🎺
Tip for FLI students & alumni: Remember that each person is on their own journey (and that our FLI ones usually look pretty different!) and try to avoid comparison. Embrace the elements of your everyday life that make you happier.

XIMENA SANCHEZ MARTINEZ ('23)

Major: Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity
Lives in: Los Angeles, CA
Works as: Sociology PhD Student
Favorite Stanford memory: One of my favorite Stanford memories is hosting loteria nights with FLIP and Lambdas. I had lots of fun making events for the FLI community on campus :)
Tip for FLI students & alumni: It’s so important to make time to care for your wellbeing! Do something small for yourself everyday like listening to your favorite song or journaling. There are so many milestones, transitions and challenges throughout our journeys. Don’t forget to prioritize yourself!

JENNIFER TELSCHOW ('13)

SAMANTHA VARGAS POPPE (‘02)

Major: HumBio
Lives in: Northern Virginia
Works as: a leader in the largest U.S philanthropy devoted to health and wellbeing.
Favorite Stanford memory: Opening my acceptance letter with my family beside me—wrapped in love, happy tears, and the feeling that anything was possible.
Tip for FLI students & alumni: Believe in the power of your story. The privilege you’re earning is real and yours. Stay grounded in who you are--you don’t need to fit anyone’s mold to belong.

AMPARO VAZQUEZ (‘08)

Major: International Relations
Lives in: Los Angeles, CA
Works as: I wear many hats, including as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Women's Survivors Network (my recently-launched nonprofit), and as the Director of Client Experience with Mindful Techie.
Favorite Stanford memory: Band Run :). I had never experienced so much joy at night, let alone with a group of people. Having grown up in the hood - where I wasn't able to walk around at night lest I be harmed - it was a notable and incredible start to 4 very safe, very fun years of life.
Tip for FLI students & alumni: Connect with other FLI students and alum. They are the ones who will best understand you, and whose values with most align with your own. That community and those partnerships are needed now more than ever.