Karla Rodriguez Beltran

Karla Rodriguez Beltran was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco and raised there and in Las Vegas, Nevada. She began her journey at community college, after a chance encounter with a college counselor who informed her about her college options as an undocumented student. She transferred to Nevada State University where she balanced a full-time job and a full-time course load. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Sociology program at the University of California, Davis.  

Karla is passionate about education and the possibilities it creates for marginalized communities. As a mentor and educator, she has seen how access to higher education foundationally shapes the trajectories of Californians. She first became involved in advocacy through the fight for immigration reform. She began as a volunteer and became a staff community organizer working to increase access to US citizenship and civic engagement in the Las Vegas community. Her professional experience also includes training staff and faculty to support undocumented students, working to implement holistic graduate admissions and serving as a research assistant.   

College of Southern Nevada, Nevada State University, and University of California, Davis 

Alma Mater(s):  College of Southern Nevada, Nevada State University, and University of California, Davis 

Your role in one sentence: I support the policy team as we advance the Campaign’s policy priorities  

When I am not at work helping students get to and succeed in college I am… spending time with loved ones and my dog, reading, exploring Sacramento, and dancing folklorico  

If not higher education then what cause? Fighting for my undocumented community to have a pathway to citizenship and a high quality of life