Monika Brooks
Monika Brooks is a dedicated community member and advocate, committed to promoting literacy, racial diversity, and autism awareness in the Bay Area through active community engagement. As the founder of the Mocha Autism Network, she tirelessly works to raise awareness of autism within Communities of Color, striving for equity and inclusivity. She harnesses the power of new media platforms to amplify her advocacy efforts, serving as a producer, radio personality, moderator, and subject matter expert on Diversity, Equity, and the vital role of Black women in activism.
Fabiola Santiago
I am Fabiola Santiago Hernandez (she/they/mama), Oaxaca-born, California-raised. I am a Zapotec mother and migrant from the World Capital of Mezcal, Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico. My father migrated to the US in the mid 1980’s because the local mezcal economy in Matatlán plummeted. He sent for the rest of the family to join him in Los Angeles, CA in the early 1990’s where we all remained undocumented for over 20 years.
Like many Oaxacan migrants in Los Angeles, I was part of the food service industry. My 10 year experience in the industry helped me pay for college and graduate school–this was before the passage and implementation of the California DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act. Working in the restaurant industry and with the support of a white family, I was able to graduate debt free. These life experiences piqued my curiosity in social change and cemented my commitment to equity.
Since getting my green card (permanent residence) in 2013, I visit my motherland a couple times a year. This is a life I didn’t imagine possible when I was trapped in the abyss of invisibility and dehumanization within the US immigration system.
Eveline Chang
Eveline Chang’s teaching role in Berkeley Social Welfare was expanded to allow her to become the School’s first full-time lecturer. In addition to teaching several social welfare courses, Chang leads an independent study to assist students in designing and implementing a series of social justice inclusion events throughout the academic year.
Chang has spent more than 25 years developing and managing integrative, community-based programs rooted in social justice, activism, multicultural leadership development, popular education, self-determination and community wellness.
She previously served as the manager of program development and training at the Oakland-based Women’s Cancer Resource Center. Her additional experiences include managing the WCRC In-Home Support Program, serving as director of youth programs with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and working with several vibrant multicultural youth empowerment and community organizations in Chicago, Detroit and Houston. She currently serves as a consultant facilitator with the Posse Foundation.
Chang earned her MSW at the University of Michigan School of Social Work in interpersonal practice and community organizing, and she has integrated these approaches throughout her career. An avid lifelong learner, she continues to study and integrate the practices of cultural humility, anti-oppression work, restorative practices, mind-body medicine and the ancient art of Qigong.
Stephisha Ycoy-Walton
Stephisha Ycoy-Walton is a multifaceted leader rooted at the intersection of education policy, financial literacy, and community advocacy, with over a decade of experience as a licensed investment advisor. She serves proudly as a Financial Literacy educator at the Freedom School, in Deep East Oakland. Stephisha is committed to creating financial advisory pathways for students in Alameda County while empowering them to be productive members of the community. As a financial advisor with six state and federal licenses, she is also an Oakland Budget Advisory Commissioner and advocates for various causes, including gun violence prevention and LGBTQ+ rights. Recognized with the Rachel Willis-Henry award for Parent of the Year, Stephisha’s work embodies empowerment and hope for underserved communities.
Stephisha is a 2025 University of Arizona – Forbes School of Business MBA graduate.
