Viviana Morales received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Chicano Studies from UC Berkeley. Viviana’s career interests lie in wanting to improve both educational and economic outcomes for low-income families and youth in California through research and data analytics. Prior to graduate school, Viviana worked in public service for 4 years in the Office of California State Senator Monique Limon as a District Representative in Santa Barbara. During this time she engaged with city, county, and federal stakeholders to help move the needle on critical issues in Santa Barbara and Ventura County relating to issues in Health, K-12 Education, Immigration, and Childcare. As a first-generation Latina student, she is passionate about education and economic policy because she understands, from personal experience, that education not only opens doors of opportunity but also plays a critical role in driving economic mobility and reducing inequality. She believes that investing in education is essential for empowering individuals and fostering broader economic growth, especially in underserved communities. During the school year, Viviana also works as a Graduate Student Researcher with the Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI), where she helps conduct research on several projects focused on zero-emission transportation and equity within LCI’s Clean Transportation Initiative. This summer, Viviana is a Fellow at Liberty Hill, where she is working with the Youth Justice team to strategically mobilize community organizers, donors, activists, and allies in advancing transformative social justice initiatives within the Youth Justice sphere across the greater Los Angeles area.

Please see Viviana’s LinkedIn for more information.