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CHRISTINA HERNANDEZ

Coordinator, Early Childhood Education Student Advancement Program, Los Angeles Mayor’s Office

Christina Hernandez leads the Early Childhood Education Student Advancement Program, a Los Angeles Mayor’s Office initiative matching 100 community college students with 100 experienced professionals invested in developing the next generation of early childhood educators.

Her passion for working on equity issues and supporting individuals derives from her parents, who emigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico, to Los Angeles in search of a more prosperous life. As a result of the systemic and language barrier struggles her family experienced, Christina’s goal is to elevate the experiences of individuals through a strengths-based approach while committing to justice for underrepresented communities. Prior to joining Mayor Garcetti’s team, Christina worked at Freedom for Immigrants where she led the National Bond Fund, formed relationships with organizations, and gathered data to influence policy. She helped secure the freedom of over 100 individuals in detention.

Christina worked at Harbor UCLA Medical Center with outpatient adults practicing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). She served as the Civic Innovation Strategist for the City of Long Beach working with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Team (i-team) to reduce recidivism. She also worked as program administrator for the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge and as a liaison between the organization and the City of Los Angeles to elevate sustainability and social justice issues. Christina is a proud double Bruin earning two degrees from UCLA: Master’s of Social Welfare from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Chicana/o Studies. She currently serves as the membership committee chair for the UCLA Latino Alumni Association.

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