Gabriela López

Gabriela López (she/her/hers) is a Latina educator with over a decade of experience in the field of education. She holds a master's in education and teaching credential from UCLA and has worked across various educational levels, from early education to graduate studies. Her diverse roles include paraprofessional assistant, art instructor, bilingual classroom teacher, teacher’s union representative, student mentor, prison educator, teacher supervisor, adjunct professor, and school board president.

As a first-generation Mexican-American and former English Language Learner in public school systems, Gabrielabrings a deeply personal perspective to her work. Her significant community engagement includes being elected to the San Francisco Board of Education at the age of 28, making her the youngest woman ever elected to office in the city. She served two terms as the Board President.

Gabriela is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at Stanford University in the Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE) and Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education (CTE) programs. She is the Op-eds Editor for the Public Scholarship Collaborative and the Senior Co-Director of the annual student-led research conference SWAYWO at the Graduate School of Education. Her research interests lie in exposing racial harm in educational institutions and advocating for systemic changes to support marginalized communities.